Moonbeams and Sunsets
by kitty-moogles
Summary: Adventures bring out the best in people. Through all this, can they get out alive and sort out the growing tension and knotted emotions? KelNeal
1. ONE

**--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS---****-----------------**  
**Chapter 1  
**

It is the last massacre of a waning summer, the final clash of weary yet determined warriors. Tortallans and Scanrans are scattered across the battlefield, weapons and wills clashing with an outburst of sparks and metallic echoes. The empty land in which they fight is boggy from too many footfalls and bloody from too many deaths, but the battle continues. Those fighting know that this is the last stand. They put their all into it; wild battle cries torn out of throats, weapons swung with enough ferocity to knock a head clean off, and horses lashing out with vicious hooves. Even if this battle was not the end, the two countries would be too exhausted to fight again. Many Scanrans are already broken and ready to fall back. Tortall's warriors are lunging forward, forcing the enemy to pull back towards the border, and despite the conditions of war, they are high-spirited.

Keladry of Mindelan cuts down by her legs, knocking one Scanran to unconsciousness and slashing another across the shoulder. Her warhorse, Peachblossom, forces her way through the mass of bloodied warriors. Destruction is left in their wake, injured Scanrans trampled and those attacking chopped down as though they were mere saplings in a forest of ancient trees. The Lady Knight does not revel in slaughter; but it is what knights do. Defend their country, protect their kin, drive away enemies - this is Kel's dream, to fight for what she believes in.

One of her fellow knights, Nealan of Queenscove, watches her intently. As one of the chief healers, he'd been ordered to stay on the walls and save his energy for magic in the infirmary. His gaze drifts out over the battlefield, the bow in his hand ignored. Not that it mattered; at the start of the battle, one of the archers had specifically asked Neal not to shoot because his accuracy was so bad it would just be a waste of arrows. Neal didn't mind. After all, he was naturally lazy at heart, and it seemed their side was winning anyway. Raoul and Wyldon fought nearby - most of the country's most experienced fighters were here at Fort Steadfast.

New Hope had been disbanded a month ago as the war died down and the major forces returned to Fort Steadfast under intelligence that a Scanran force was preparing a last desperate attack there. However, most of the King's Own (including Third Company, quite notably without Raoul) were drifting nearer the border, taking out the last few Scanran raiding parties.

Neal was sombre as he watched death swallow many and threaten his friends. It was hard to keep a cheery outlook as peoples' tortured moans reached his ears. Sometimes it didn't seem fair that people had to die over stupid disagreements and greed. Both countries were suffering huge losses and yet Scanra continued to attack. Neal's eyes drifted over the mass of people and snapped back to Kel, who had dropped off of Peachblossom and was defending another Tortallan's back.

Occasionally, whenever Neal saw Kel in war, he wondered how she kept so strong and innocent through all the battles and death. Even he had dark moments sometimes; to be a knight was to be expected to kill without pausing and be pressurised with the burden of protecting everyone under their responsibility. Dedication and persistence just went with the job.

Undoubtedly Kel's eyes had seen horrors and evil that scarred her beneath her skin, but she kept going. She didn't smile much; but when she did, it was innocent and pure - untainted. To some, it seemed like she never smiled at all. But over time - if you knew her well enough - not even her Yamani mask could hide the slivers of emotion that managed to evade her vizard.

"Hey, Meathead." Neal spun around, a scowl beginning to form on his face as he recognised that ridiculously insufferable nickname. Kel was striding along the wall towards him, dragging a helmet from her matted hair. A smudge of mud ran down her cheek. "It's over."

"Really?"

"If you were paying attention, you'd know that already," she replied without missing a beat, and swooped down on him to cuff him over the head. "Burial detail, anyone?"

Neal scrunched his face up. "The way you talk about it, people'd think it's as mild as washing the dishes. It's horrible."

"It has to be done," she said, shrugging. "By the way, there's a load of groaning men waiting for you in the infirmary."

"Oh yeah..." he said, eyes drawn to the wooden building on the ground. "Well, duty calls! Have fun digging graves, Kel." He clapped her on the shoulder as he strode away down the wall.

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Swathes of emerald green magic surrounded him, cloaking his senses and demanding all his concentration. He could barely feel his fingers as they grasped someone's skin, slippery with blood. Honing his magic, he searched out for the edge of the wound with a tendril of green sparkles and began to heal. It felt like his heart began to strain as he used the magical energy to close up the wound.

Something jolted him out of his magical trance - a figure stood beside him with a firm hand on his shoulder.

"You really _are _a Meathead."

"Evening... Protector..." Neal's voice cracked and died away. He squinted up at her, a little cowed by the look on her face.

"I'm amazed you're still conscious," she chastised, grabbing his arm. "Get up." Neal just chuckled weakly under his breath and allowed her to drag him across the infirmary. After satisfying herself that he would not fall off the chair she dropped him onto, she disappeared out the building. He barely noticed, drifting between exhausted sleep and empty consciousness, jerking awake each time someone walked past. Even time seemed to sleep, until he wasn't sure how much time had passed since Kel left.

Some when later (Neal wasn't really sure when), Kel returned, hauling a small table in front of him and setting down a steaming plate on its surface. "Eat, or you'll shrivel up." Neal recognized the motherly expression on her face, and reached out for the fork. It didn't take long for her to find a chair of her own and sit opposite him. She watched him attempt to spear a slice of carrot several times with amusement and concern in her eyes before he finally managed to get it onto the eating utensil. As he brought the fork to his mouth, he missed and jammed it into his cheek, grimacing as he did so. Kel shook her head disapprovingly.

"As much as I admire your service to the wounded, Queenscove, I doubt your fiancée will be happy to find you can hardly feed yourself. I've heard about your accuracy from the archers, but I never realised your already poor aim had deteriorated quite so far - perhaps you should repeat the eight years towards knighthood. Maybe we will see some small improvement." Wyldon, face hard and weather-worn, turned to Kel. "Keladry," he began stiffly, as though calling her by her first name burned his throat, "there is a message from the King to be announced after dinner in the mess hall. If Queenscove isn't completely inane by that time, I will require both of you to be present." He didn't even wait for a reply before departing; Kel stared after him with her mouth slightly open.

"He insulted me!" remarked Neal indignantly, dropping his fork with fumbling fingers. "He insulted me _several times!_"

"Yes, Neal. He did. Bring some wake flower to dinner, will you? I think I'm going to need it."

"You think you're going to fall asleep...?"

"No, Nealan. I think _you _are going to fall asleep" Neal mock-glared at her and poked a lukewarm vegetable with fork. "And eat your vegetables."

"But mooooother!" he whined, table jostling precariously as he shifted in his seat, "They _smell _funny!"

One of the other healers walking past shot them a disapproving look. Neal's whining could be heard from the other end of the infirmary (but on the plus side, it was much more pleasant than the pained groans of wounded men). Kel briefly reprimanded him on disturbing patients and watched him eat the remainders of his vegetables with a stern gaze before leaving him to nap on an empty bed nearby.

She returned a few hours later and shook him awake. To keep him quiet she had to hold a hand to his mouth, which only made him panic and thrash about. One of the sleeping patients beside them retreated further under their sheets, and several others had woken and were busy glaring daggers. Kel shot them apologetic looks and pulled Neal onto his feet. A vial of wake flower lay on the bedside table; she snatched it up and stowed it away in her pocket.

The mess hall was not far from the infirmary (so meals could be brought to bed bound patients) and the wafting smell of stew drifted through the air. A few men from the Second Company of the Own waved to them as they passed. Neal was stumbling a little, trying to keep up with Kel's long, fast paces.

"Slow down, Kel!"

"_Speed up, Neal," _she replied sardonically, grabbing his arm and propelling him forwards. "We're late enough as it is."

Neal scowled, but obeyed. They entered the mess hall and picked up a bowl of stew each (which, in Neal's opinion, was too gloopy) before sliding into a seat with some of their other year mates - Merric, Seaver, and Cleon. Noise and chatter erupted everywhere you cared to look until Kel was forced to shout to greet her friends.

"Hey, Kel. Got Neal, I see."

"Yes." She looked across at him, and added, "Eventually."

Neal stared down at his stew moodily. "I resent that..."

"Ah, cheer up, Neal. I hear we're going back to Corus!" Merric said, clapping Neal on the back. "Reassignment, or something. Think we're going to have a party before we leave?"

Kel blinked. "Going... home?"

"Yes, Kel. That's right. Corus. Going home."

"Shut up, Meathead," she said, punching his shoulder. "Surely we should be staying for longer. The war only ended today."

"Who cares?" chorused her four knight friends, grinning at each other.

Everyone was extremely rowdy, increasingly so as the rumour of returning to Corus spread through the crowd. A small food fight broke out in the corner of the mess hall, fuelled by someone's hip flask of whisky, but was ended a few minutes later by Raoul who had just been hit with a soggy, stew-soaked roll in the back of the head. Needless to say, the men responsible were completely silent as they continued their meal.

Kel began to develop a headache from the noise, and didn't join her friends' conversation about what they were going to do when they got back to Corus. Ten minutes later, conversation began to die down. Wyldon stood at the back of the hall, heads turning to watch him.

"A message has arrived from the King. As the war with Scanra has finally ended, most of the King's Own and almost all the knights will be returning to Corus for a brief rest -" (you could tell by the look on his face he clearly didn't think a rest was necessary) "- and to be reassigned to other matters." Kel was amazed the walls didn't collapse as cheers and shouting exploded in the room. One look at Wyldon's thunderous face soon ended the noise. "The knights will be leaving in small groups at different intervals tomorrow. Everyone should pack. You will be informed of who is leaving and when you are leaving tomorrow morning. I'd also like a word with Keladry of Mindelan. The rest of you are free to -" he shifted uncomfortably and looked around the room, clearly disapproving, and ended, "celebrate." Bedlam once again engulfed the room. Kel spotted Wyldon slipping out the door, and followed. He was waiting a few metres from the doorway.

"You wanted a word, sir?"

"You're going to be leaving first, with Hollyrose and Queenscove. At dawn tomorrow."

She blinked and repeated, "Dawn?" Despite herself, Kel felt dismay and horror washing over her. She rose at dawn every day and she could probably handle getting up earlier, but if Neal and Merric stayed up until the early hours partying with the rest of the men then it would be near impossible to have them ready in time. She looked at the mess hall from the corner of her eye. "I should go get them..."

"Yes, I was a little concerned that they'd hold you up. It might be an idea to pack now rather than in the morning."

"Yes, sir," Kel replied automatically.

Wyldon nodded approvingly. "Your horses will be prepared for the morning. Safe journey, Keladry." He watched her blank face for a moment, then strolled off in the direction of his rooms. Kel watched him disappear through the doorway of another building before she snapped out of her reverie and entered the mess hall again.

The room was a mass of sweaty, half-drunk men. Vaguely wondering where they got the alcohol, she began to edge around the walls, searching for her two comrades while trying to avoid getting pulled into the crowd. It took a while before she glimpsed Merric's vivid red hair.

Grimacing, she pushed through the throng and latched onto the redhead's arm, pulling him to a stop. That was when she looked up at the table. Neal was merrily performing some sort of jig on its wooden surface while sloshing cider over the heads of the men watching, all the while crying, "Come and get your Steadfast Cider!" Quenching a tyrannical roar, she stepped up, knocked the flask of cider from his hands and wrenched him down onto the floor. He couldn't even walk in a straight line, and Merric was only slightly better; she hauled them out and voiced aloud her perplexity at how they'd gotten so drunk in the short time she'd been talking to Wyldon.

"You idiots!" she whispered hotly to the two drunks, feeling that it didn't matter if she betrayed a large chunk of emotion to them as she doubted they'd remember anything anyway. "We have to leave at dawn tomorrow, and you're completely _intoxicated!" _

"You know you love me for it," Neal slurred, falling into her. She thrust him off, red as a beet, hoping he wouldn't remember or mention his face had just been crushed into her breasts. He wobbled on one leg for a frozen moment before toppling onto the grass. Merric started giggling (_giggling? just how much alcohol have they _had? Kel asked herself) and began to skip around Neal, who remained sprawled on the grass. Kel kneeled down beside him. She had to smother a hysterical scream when she realised he was out cold.

"Just how strong _is_ that cider?" she said, more to herself than to Merric, who was clearly oblivious to her woe. It was then that she remembered the wake flower, and shoved it under Neal's nose. It didn't take him long to wake up, and, after persuading Merric that squashing the few flowers growing within the walls of Fort Steadfast wasn't very nice, she set off once again for their rooms. Neal and Merric fell asleep on Neal's bed, and Kel ended up doing their packing for them. It was an extremely moody, pale Kel who flopped onto her bed almost two hours later and fell asleep the moment her body made contact with the mattress.

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: My amazing return to Tamora Pierce fanfiction! XD**

**I should apologise because the title is so far completely irrelevant to everything I have planned for this story. Until about five minutes ago I just referred to it as, "MY FANTASTICAL MASTERPIECE!" But that's fine... I can change it... -.-**

**This is going to be a **massively** KelNeal story, **with a plot**! For the most part, anyway. There is, unfortunately, a little KelDom, but that's just to make Neal _jealous. _So don't worry. I've got **eleven** chapters planned so far. Gooood, yes? And I'm already up to chapter 5 in writing. I'll update about once a week - that's about how long it takes to write each chapter, and I want to stay a few chapters ahead (although the summer holidays start in less than two weeks, so rejoice! I'll probably update quicker then!) Chapters will almost always be 3000 words or more, so an entire week of waiting desperately for an update will be worth it! -cough- Well, I'm not expecting many fans of this story, but a few would be nice. And it would be fun if everyone abbreviated the title to MB&SS like real fangirls (do many guys come on this site? I can't say I ever remember meeting anyone here who's male...). I would say abbreviate it to M&S, but I'd probably be sued by Marks and Spencers.  
**

**If you love me, you'll review. And please point out any errors in spelling/grammar/formatting, because I want this to be as close to perfection as I can get it. _(hmmph. Like _**_that's_**_ ever gonna happen...)  
_**


	2. TWO

**--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS---****-----------------**  
**Chapter 2  
**

"Well, thank you _very_ much, Neal." The sarcasm was evident in her voice.

"No problem!" he replied cheerily, stroking Magewhisper's neck.

Merric just grumbled and pulled himself onto the saddle. "You could have cured my hangover, too," he moaned.

"Sorry, chum, but I have to save my magical energy."

"For what, exactly?" Kel asked, recognising Neal's I'm-making-an-excuse-which-I-haven't-thought-over face.

"...Fighting! Saving lives! Healing potentially fatal wounds - you never know when a bandit's gonna catch you unaware!"

"_No one_ is going to be catching me unaware," Kel retorted, and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Let's go, then. We're quarter of an hour late already."

Neal and Merric followed her lead as she rode out Steadfast's gates. It was already shaping up to be a warm day, though the sun had yet to sneak fully up over the horizon and the only clouds in the sky were wispy and weak. Small, irritating bugs had already taken to the air, determined to make nuisances of themselves. It was this, coupled with her lack of sleep, Neal's cheeriness and Merric's hangover, that put the majority of their group in a bad mood.

Neal whooped and encouraged Magewhisper to take over his two friends, taking in deep gulps of air as though he hadn't been outside in months. His good mood was anything but contagious. Kel and Merric were both fervently wishing they had the Gift to heal their tiredness and/or hangover, and lagged behind their enthusiastic friend. Eventually Neal decided his pace might be hard on his horse, and slowed down.

"My head hurts," Merric mumbled to himself. Neal seemed to take this as a signal to initiate some sort of conversation.

"I should have written to Yuki. She would have been able to come and visit Corus. Knowing the King, we'll be gone before I even get a chance to write to her! I don't suppose you get wedding leave, do you? She's been in the Yamani Isles for months now, waiting for me to come back from the border..." He continued to ramble about his betrothed, occasionally inserting a line of awful poetry here and there or posing with a hand held to his heart and moist eyes. Merric managed to put aside his self-pity for long enough to cuff Neal over the head. The journey continued in much the same way for several hours until the sun had risen considerably and Merric was no longer mumbling but groaning loudly. Upon reaching a crossroad, Merric and Neal both looked across to Kel to ask which way to go, only to find her slumped over Peachblossom's neck, sleeping fitfully.

Neal took one look at her and began to laugh. "Do you think we should wake her up?"

"Uh..." Merric looked unsure. "I don't know. It is kind of our fault that she was kept up so late."

"And she looks so beau- _peaceful." _Neal paused - had he really begun to say beautiful? That was random, he told himself, but put the thought aside. Merric didn't seem to have noticed anyway, but he'd turned away.

"But if we don't, we're going to get lost," Merric reasoned, hangover temporarily forgotten.

"We won't get lost," Neal said, as though the very idea was completely ridiculous. "We have maps and _brains._"

Half an hour later, Neal and Merric were bickering over where they were in a large expanse of forest, having accidentally ripped the map on a protruding vine of thorns and losing a large portion of the paper. Peachblossom whickered and tossed her head. The movement caused Kel to stir; slowly, she sat up and stretched out, grimacing at the cramp in her neck. She looked around the forest, slightly dazed. After taking a swig from her water skin, she spoke up.

"Uh... where are we?"

"We're in a_ forest_, Kel. Can't you see that?" Neal snapped, shaking the map out as twigs and berries fell from the nearby treetops. A large drop of water hit the side of the paper, blurring the text - Merric called out and tried to bundle the map back into Neal's saddlebags. Unfazed, Kel looked up at the forest canopy as more droplets began to fall. Rain.

"I don't think we were meant to go through a forest," she said accusingly. Neal and Merric exchanged horrified glances.

Merric gulped audibly. "The map's ruined. And you don't know where we are."

Neal suppressed the urge to wail, "Mummmmyyyy!" Thicker droplets continued to fall through gaps in the treetops, splattering the three lost knights. They didn't attempt to move to better shelter. They just stood, perplexed.

"Maybe we should get moving, then," Neal suggested, directing Magewhisper forward. Behind him, he heard Merric begin to speak in a soft voice.

"Hey... Kel. Are you okay? You didn't get much sleep - well, that was my fault really - and I feel kind of guilty now. Sorry about getting drunk."

Neal twisted round to see Merric fidget with his horse's mane as if he were feeling exceptionally shy. A drop of irritation leaped into Neal's blood.

"It's fine," Kel said, smiling faintly. "And you don't need to say sorry. You don't have anything to apologise for."

There was a tense silence. Merric's cheeks were a little flushed as he opened his mouth to speak again.

A dull thud resounded through the clearing in which they stood; heads whipped round. An arrow, the kind for piercing armour, was embedded in the trunk of a tree just a few metres behind Kel's head. The knights (yes, Kel included) visibly paled. Rustling could be heard in the treetops; the three friends exchanged glances before urging their horses into a gallop and bolting out the clearing.

Obviously, the ambushers had expected them to try and escape. More arrows hit nearby trees and one flew mere millimetres over Merric's hunched form, grazing his chain mail tunic and tumbling off with sparks and a clink of metal. They continued to rush onwards, hoping they'd eventually get out of range.

"Fighting them isn't an option!" Kel cried over the rushing of the wind as they galloped on at speed. "They have an advantage, but I don't know how long the horses will be able to keep going at this pace!"

"We are going to get out of this alive, right?" Neal shouted hopefully, narrowly avoiding being thwacked in the face by a thick branch.

"Well..." Kel struggled with her blank face for a moment. "We don't know how many men they have - and their accuracy is near-perfect..."

"Surely bandits don't have so many people in their group..."

They all exchanged expressions marred by fear and panic.

"Just keep going," advised Kel, so they did.

The number of arrows whistling across the path they followed began to fall, but the shots drew closer and closer to hitting their targets. The horses were sweat-streaked and bore scratches from the brush. They charged through patches of darkness and light, eyes smarting from having to adjust to light levels so often. A few moments later, the darkness and shadows began to recede - ahead of them was a large clearing. They galloped into it.

Before they knew what was happening, Neal had trampled a tent and Merric's horse had almost trodden in a large fire. Shouts echoed across the clearing as Kel, Neal and Merric brought their horses to a stop, panting as hard as their steeds.

"Meathead...?"

Neal almost fell off Magewhisper, twisting around to see the speaker. Dom, looking a little ruffled, scratched his head. "We were pursued by bandits," Neal gasped, sliding out the saddle. His feet buckled beneath him, and he just lay on the floor, breathing hard.

"You trampled my tent!" someone accused. Kel tried to look apologetic.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to. We didn't know you were here."

"What _are_ you doing here?" Merric inquired.

"Trying to hide from unwelcome, ditzy knights, firehair," Lerant said, looking annoyed. A broken tent pole was resting in his hands. Others in the Own were gathered around the squashed tent, murmuring in heated tones and glaring at the knights. Another man was tending to the horses tied at one end of the clearing, who had been disturbed by the ruckus.

"I thought you might stop by at Steadfast to get Raoul back," Kel said. She slid off the saddle more gracefully than Neal, but sagged against her horse all the same.

"We don't need Raoul," Dom exclaimed proudly. "_I _lead Third Company. For now, at least."

Neal scowled. "Well, congratulations," he said sarcastically, still a little breathless. "Do you have anything to eat? And something for our horses. We're exhausted."

"Sure." Dom called for people to take their horses away. As a man reached out to take Peachblossom's reins, Dom leaned over and pulled Kel away so she wouldn't fall when her gelding moved. "Hey, Kel. Long time no see. Looking a little rough."

"Good to see you too, Dom," she replied a little sarcastically, leaning on him. "I'm really tired." Dom stared down at her, a little shocked; Kel was _never _tired. She was always energetic and up at dawn without ever looking like she's had less than her share of sleep.

"You could have a nap," Dom suggested. "I don't think your horses are fit to be doing any exercise for a while, and the men won't mind staying here for a bit longer."

Kel looked a little unsure. "What if-"

"-bandits attack and you fall asleep and get speared through the stomach? Go to sleep, Protector. It's fine." (Kel scowled slightly at the mention of "Protector", an abbreviation of her idiotic nickname/title, "Protector of the Small".)

"Can _I _take a nap?" asked Neal.

Dom grinned at him. "No, Nealan. You need to help repair the tent your brute of a horse so rudely trampled over." He pointed in the direction of another tent. "Kel, my tent's over there."

Neal choked on a breath. "What, you're getting her to sleep in _your _tent? In y_our _bedroll?" he spluttered. "You lascivious little paedoph-"

"Hold that thought, Meathead. I'm sure Kel has a bedroll of her own," he said, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Really, it's bad enough that you have these kind of thoughts, let alone you sharing them with everyone around you..."

Neal appeared lost for words for a moment before uttering, "You need a whipping, Domitan!"

"I'm afraid there aren't any whips, Meathead, but I do have some handcuffs, whipped cream, and a blindfold in my tent."((1))

Silence.

"You are _disgusting_! I demand that Kel sleeps somewhere else!"

"And where are you suggesting, Neal? _Your _bedroll?" Dom replied smoothly. Neal just gaped at him.

"I think this conversation should end here," Kel suggested, stepping between the two cousins. Neal caught fleeting glimpses of amusement and something bordering confusion and curiosity in her eyes. A little dumbfounded, he didn't object. "Dom, your tent will be fine, thank you." And with that, she strolled away.

Dom watched her disappear. "Good show, cousin. It's good to see you again."

_Show? _Neal thought, almost offended. _That wasn't a show! I was genuinely concerned for my friend! You never know what these egoistical womanisers are going to try and pull next... _"Uh... yeah. Sure." He clasped forearms with Dom as if there were no hard feelings over their insult match, but felt his insides churn as he did so. What on earth was going on? Why had he felt so stupidly speechless (Nealan of Queenscove was _never _speechless)? And why on Tortall had he taken so much offence when Dom had remained as calm as he normally was? They always joked around like that, trying to outdo each other; so why was this time different?

"Hey, you! Get over here and help with the tent," a rough voice called. Neal met Dom's eyes for a short second, suddenly feeling much smaller than his cousin, and then jogged over to the trampled tent.

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"Did you find any bandits, then?" Kel asked. She, Neal, Merric and Third Company were gathered around a small fire in the clearing, having just finished their dinner of bread, cheese and rabbit. Though the day had been warm, it was still fairly cold in the darkness. A few specks of moonlight reached the clearing through the thick forest canopy, but otherwise, the fire was their only source of light.

"No," replied a man who Neal did not recognise (he later found out he was called Wolset). "We went out to look but there was no one out there we could find. We did find the arrows, though."

"They weren't bandit's arrows," piped up another man - or a teenager, really - he couldn't have been older than 19, and Kel was sure he was a new recruit since she last saw Third Company. ."They weren't crude. They were made by proper, trained fletchers - experienced, with good materials. Those men weren't bandits." Apparently, Flyn, who would have led Third Company if he was actually there, had been sent to replace a captain who had died in another company of the Own. Dom was his replacement. They'd had several losses through the Scanran war, and had recruited in a brief respite in Corus.

"Who else could they have been, though?"

Uneasy expressions could be read all around the fire.

"They won't attack such a big group," Dom said cheerfully, ever the reassuring, happy character. "We're fine."

"I'm not worried about _us,_" remarked Kel, staring into the fire. The light cast shadows in her eyes, giving her a solemn air. "There are other small groups of knights travelling down to Corus, too. And there's no way of warning them."

The group was quiet for several minutes. It was Dom who decided to break the silence. "Well, I need my beauty sleep. Coming, Kel?"

Neal only just managed to hold in the mouthful of water he'd just swigged from his water skin. Looking upon it from Neal's mind, it sounded a little perverted.

"Where are _we _meant to sleep?" Merric asked as Dom stood.

"You can sleep with the other men, in someone's tent," he said, to a few irritated shouts.

"Why can't they sleep in your tent, Dom? We have four men to a tent, and you have yours all to yourself! They'll all fit inside!" protested one man. Various cheers and supporting shouts followed.

"Don't want to be disturbed," he reasoned."I do the most work around here. I deserve the extra space."

"I could swear your tent is bigger than ours."

"I need the space for maps and tables! I don't just wallow around in the mud like the rest of you anymore! I'm important. Your lives are in my hands!"

Many of the men caved in at that. The sleeping arrangements were jumbled around until Neal and Merric ended up in Wolset's tent. The others complained heatedly in whispers, talking of the cramped spaces they'd have to put up with. It was not a possibility for anyone to sleep out in the open; the weather was too wet.

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Neal woke to the sound of movement and talking outside the tent. At first, he attempted to retreat deeper into his bedroll and let the darkness swallow him in fitful sleep, but his attempts failed and he emerged, hair tousled from vivid dreams. Third Company were already awake, tending to a small boar roasting on a spit over the fire and various other jobs around the camp. He was almost astonished that they looked so lively so early in the morning, after seeing them sleeping past midday at their barracks in Corus. He shrugged and stumbled over to sit by the fire.

Kel emerged next. "You didn't wake me up!" she accused Dom mockingly, jabbing a finger at his chest.

He just shrugged, maintaining a straight face. "We were up late."

One of the men wolf-whistled, deeming the statement's implications to be dirty enough to require such a noise. Neal looked away, not wanting to see Kel's expression.

"We were discussing tactics, actually," Kel said coolly, as calm and collected as usual. She disappeared back into Dom's tent, returning a few minutes later with eating utensils.

They ate leisurely and talked over the route they'd take over the day. After packing up the tents and the camp, then tending to the horses, everyone mounted up and they rode out. It took several hours to escape from the forest, by which time it had begun to rain again. The ground was already becoming boggy and the falling droplets gave the mud a congealing stickiness that the horses disliked, but luckily the roads remained clear and safe. Out of the shelter of the trees, everyone got soaked.

After a brief ten minute rest, letting the horses drink from a crystal stream running through the land, they returned to their hard, unforgiving-on-the-backside saddles and continued. The landscape around them varied little; Neal soon tired of admiring the block grey sky and large expanses of empty fields. His mind began to wander, spanning to subjects like Yuki and his father. While his thoughts pounded away quite happily, his eyes were glazed. At least, they were, until he noticed Kel drooping in her saddle. One moment she was just leaning over slightly, the next she was on the ground. A little startled, Neal rode up beside her.

"Fall asleep?" he asked, a little sympathetically. "You could---"

"Hey, you," Dom interrupted, appearing from behind Neal. He leant over to pull Kel onto her feet. "You should have slept longer." With strong arms, he lifted Kel up in front of him in the saddle, and she didn't protest. Neal gaped at them a moment (_he, _as a loyal friend, had been about to offer to share his saddle with her and Dom had jumped in and done it himself!)... and then rode past. He glimpsed Dom sliding an arm around Kel's waist, and murmuring something in her ear.

Dom's cousin rode ahead and levelled with Merric. The redhead glanced across as he was joined by his year mate, but he did not speak; he waited for Neal to begin.

"Greetings, Sir Merric. How are you on this fine day?"

Merric's tired, scowling face told it all.

"Not so good, huh? Ah, well, I sympathise. I'm not so great myself." Neal tried not to look back at Dom and Kel, knowing he'd only recall being almost completely ignored by his best friend.

"Oh? What's up?"

"Well... I hardly know anyone here, right? It feels like Kel is ignoring me. I suppose I should just go out and get some new friends here, like the Neal everyone expects - friendly, funny... but I can't. It's such a weird feeling... I've known Kel for so long, and then... Dom appears, and suddenly we hardly talk at all."

Merric was completely silent for a moment. "Mmm..."

He didn't speak again. Neal spent the rest of the trip in silence, only nodding when Kel offered to fill up his wineskin from a nearby river. She looked confused and hurt by his icy reception, but he didn't want to explain. Frowning, she left to join Dom again.

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That evening, the camp was set up neatly in startling speed. Neal, Kel and Merric looked on in slight amazement at Third Company's organisation. However, instead of raising the tents, they found the patch of the field's corner with the thickest grass and softest ground, and began to lay out their bedrolls in a line. It seemed that, as it was already becoming dark, it would be too difficult to set up the tents, and the weather was dry enough to risk sleeping in the open air. Another couple of hares were sizzling over a large fire as they settled down to let the fire's light wash over them.

After the meal, the last few bedrolls were set out and the tired, aching travellers lurched into the warmth and comfort of sleep: but Neal lay awake, contemplating the events of the day. His mind refused to shut down, playing back his memories of the past few hours on the back of his eyelids.

The person in the bedroll beside him shifted. "Neal?" Kel whispered, voice hushed as though she was scared of the darkness swallowing her words if they were too loud. Neal squinted at her face, but could barely make it out. "Neal, I'm sorry."

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder.

"I hardly talked to you at all today. And..." - a deep breath - "I really missed it. I'm so sorry, Neal, please don't be angry. I was really worried after -"

Neal felt his eyes prickling. He reached up and covered her hand with his own. "Of course I'm not angry," he whispered back, searching for her eyes in the shadows, but to his dismay, he could not find them. "It was my fault, too."

They remained silent for a long time. The warmth of Kel's hand beneath his own made it difficult to say anything, but he wasn't sure why.

"Good night, Neal," she said finally.

"Sweet dreams," he replied quietly, voice cracking. Kel withdrew her hand, and rolled over to look up at the sky. Neal watched her a moment, than surrendered himself to sleep.

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The next morning, the air was warm and snug and the sound of birds singing merrily shook Neal out of his fitful sleep. Most of the others were already awake, including Kel and the man who had slept on Neal's other side. Neal rose and began to pack up his bedroll. Dom strolled past, taking a chunk out of a small apple in his hand. "Final day's ride, everyone. We'll be in Corus by midday!"

Cheers ran rampage through the camp.

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_Additional Notes_

_((1)) I don't suppose they had whipped cream or handcuffs back then, so who knows what other kinky "apparatus" they had? So please excuse me if this is the least believable line in this entire chapter..._

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you very much for all your kind reviews! I've been quite far ahead in my writing so I decided to post this a lot earlier than expected! Rejoice!**

**If you noticed the Additional Notes section, that's just my odd comments on stuff I've written. You'll notice there's ((1)) written somewhere in the chapter - that's to tell you that there's an additional note about that part of the chapter. I've added a few weird, cryptic lines into future chapters which I really want to explain, so look out for other numbers in double brackets.**

**Oh, and who thinks Merric has a crush on Kel? I'm not sure why I wrote that at all... but I hope you liked the minor fluff/jokes in this chapter. Last chapter was really boring.**

**I've also planned two more chapters. I think this story will overall have about fifteen chapters, which is huge in my standards. And I can tell you, I can't _wait _to start writing the later chapters... eeheeheeeee...  
**

**Please review with any comments or crit. I'm open to it all! If you want to ask a question, feel free! I'll reply to your review with the answer(s) as soon as I can. Thanks again, everyone. **


	3. THREE

**--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS---****-----------------**  
**Chapter 3**

Neal emitted a sound of complete contentment as he flopped onto his bed, revelling in the thick mattress and squashy pillows of luxury. He closed his eyes.

"Don't get too comfy, Neal. We're going down to the mess, I'm starving," called Kel from the doorway. Neal sat up and threw a pillow at her. Catching it with ease, she launched it back and hit him squarely on the head. He just scowled at her.

"If you think you can order me around and throw potentially fatal objects at my head, then you have another thing coming," he remarked, and launched a barrage of pillows at her. She did her best to dodge them, but he appeared to have an abundance of feather-stuffed ammo and it was impossible to dodge them all - several hit her torso and head. Another pillow landed on the floor and caused her to lose her footing - she slipped and fell, clawing at the bed sheets to keep herself from making a painful impact. Shooting up, she took a deep breath and began to pummel Neal with a stray pillow. He fell back onto the mattress and let her pound away at his chest.

Kel had been merrily whacking Neal for at least sixty seconds when the thought occurred to her that he might be about to bounce up and take her by surprise. It was, by then, too late, as he had already shot up and taken her down. He straddled her on the bed and tickled her wildly with hands that shook until she could hardly breathe.

"Neal!" she gasped, pushing him off the bed with a thump. Her chest heaved as she guzzled huge lungfuls of air. "I'll get you back for that!"

"Time to eat?" he asked, face a little flushed. Using the bed as a lever, he stood and shook the dust from his tunic.

"Gods, it feels like I haven't eaten in months. Give me a hand up."

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After collecting some food, Kel and Neal scouted out their friends. At their usual table right at the back sat Cleon, Seaver, Roald and Faleron, talking and joking merrily while ignoring the vegetables on their plate. Merric was nowhere to be found. Kel smiled faintly at the sight of her old friends. Then she felt the muscle in her arm twinge, and grimaced.

"Something wrong?" asked Neal.

"Pulled a muscle," was her reply, and she shook her arm out as though it might help.

"I can heal it for you," Neal offered, reaching for the limb in question with emerald sparkles dancing round his fingertips. Kel snatched her arm away.

"No. No, it's fine," she insisted.

Neal looked genuinely concerned. "Go on, Kel! I'll only numb the pain."

"It doesn't hurt."

"Ever the stoic warrior," Neal retorted. "Don't you ever get tired of hiding behind your mask?"

Kel stalked off, heading for her friends. Neal followed like a lost puppy.

"Welcome to our humble table, Protector of the Small," Seaver slurred, and swayed in his seat.

" A little too much celebratory rum," Cleon explained. "Welcome back, Kel. Hi, Neal. Took your time getting here, didn't you?"

"Kel was completely exhausted after the party - we think she drank _way _too much cider. We ended up lazing around for a day afterwards, which put us behind."

"Good to be back?" asked Roald, stirring the food around his plate absent-mindedly.

Kel just nodded.

"I think she's in a mood," Neal hissed behind his hand.

"Shut up, Meathead." There was a pause. "And eat your vegetables."

Neal scowled heavily. "But _mother_!"

Kel ignored him.

She ate in a thoughtful silence, listening to the others' conversation with feigned interest. Cleon was describing the events at the fort he'd been at during the war, further to the west than Kel and Neal's station at New Hope. He seemed particularly inclined to describe in full detail a "momentous battle" in which his team of fifteen men had discovered a thirty-strong Scanran raiding party camping in the nearby forest.

"Oh, we had raiding parties that big visiting every day!" Neal interrupted. Cleon looked irritated as the others leaned closer to hear more.

"And an army of winged worms ate Neal's horse while we were trying to stave off seventy-nine giant mutant moles," said Kel, looking sceptical. Her eyes glazed over again (she didn't even bother to look interested) and she barely heard the others laughing merrily. Cleon waited for them to finish before continuing his story in which he single-handedly cut down eleven Scanrans, even with a heavily injured leg ("That sure healed quickly," Seaver slurred, before stuffing his mouth with peas. Cleon blinked, hoping no one heard, and then rushed on with his story), and saved the lives of four of his comrades. Seaver drifted between sleep and consciousness, falling into his plate and jumping up with a piece of meat stuck to his cheek. Merric arrived a few minutes later, just as Kel finished her meal and stood up.

"And where do you think _you're_ going, Protector?"

Neal recognised a flash of irritation in her eyes before it was smothered completely. "I have to pick up a dress from Lalasa's shop."

"Dress?" Neal repeated incredulously. Since when did Kel willingly go to buy dresses? He looked across to their other friends, who refused to meet his gaze.

"Yes, Neal, a dress. There's a ball tonight."

Neal gripped the table so hard it shook. "A _ball!_ Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Kel and Merric exchanged glances.

"We _did._"

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Neal lingered around the back of the ballroom, waiting and watching for his friends. Even with a glass of his favourite wine held snugly in his hands, he felt distinctly uncomfortable. He didn't suppose he'd ever felt comfortable at balls, but it was even worse when he didn't even have anyone to go with. He'd crept in through a back door, all too aware he was alone, only to find the hall nearly empty. Even ten minutes later, only thirty people milled around the room and the musicians hadn't even started playing.

Never the less, the room looked magnificent. Red and gold drapes (the traditional royal colours) hung from ceilings and walls, and elegant mage lights blossomed in glass lamps. At one side of the room sat the usual gold and white tables and chairs where those who were tired could take a breather, and at least half of the rest of the room was dedicated for the dance floor. No one was dancing yet due to the lack of music. At the furthest end of the hall were the two grand thrones of royal colours where King Jonathon and his wife Thayet sat, and opposite them (quite a way, seeing how wide the room was) were the huge stairs that couples would descend when announced. So far, only four couples had trickled down the steps; the few other people there had cheated like Neal and taken a more private route.

Neal noticed a small flock of noble ladies eyeing him, batting eyelashes with enough force to send a breeze wafting through his hair. He turned away, thinking of how restrictive being engaged was (particularly when you'd been engaged for months and your betrothed wasn't even around) and wandering when on earth he would actually see Yuki again. Surely it wasn't healthy for a couple to be apart from each other for so long? He tapped his chin, resolving to contact Yuki as soon as he could.

He was ripped from his thoughts as the herald announced a familiar name, and he spun round to watch the next couple descend the glistening marble steps. His cousin was instantly recognisable in an eye-catching sapphire blue tunic that demanded your gaze. _Show off, _Neal thought, scowling within his mind, _but at least he's not with Kel. _He examined the attractive, green-clad woman drifting down the stairs on Dom's arm.

Her emerald dress fitted snugly around the waist, skirts billowing out at the feet so it looked like she hovered rather than walked, and it was low-cut to reveal pale, apple-white skin. The sleeves were long and easily covered her hands. The woman's chestnut hair was pinned up, as was the latest fashion, with wispy strands escaping here and there around twinkling emerald ear-drops. _So much green, _Neal mused. _She would look good on my arm, match my eyes perfectly. _And then he poked that thought vehemently, feeling guilty both for talking about a woman as if she were merely a decoration, and for having such guilty thoughts against Yuki. He squinted at the anonymous woman's face all the same, trying to make it out as she neared the bottom of the steps.

_Holy cra- CRUMBS! That's Kel!_

Neal gaped at them openly.

Since when did Kel look like _that_? He hardly recognised her! Since when did she wear low-cut, tight dresses? Since when had she had her _ears pierced? _And more to the point, why did Neal look at her and feel empty and dark in the pit of his stomach?

Dom and Kel crossed the room to a servant who held a tray of drinks, and Neal's eyes followed them, anger bubbling up furiously the more he watched them. Dom and Kel... Kel and Dom. Was it just him, or did that sound fake, unreal? There was something about it which didn't make any sense. Didn't register in Neal's brain at all, and made hairs along his arms ripple up with a sudden chill. Dom grinned broadly - even _that _looked fake.

Music burst into merry existence behind him, making Neal jump. A mass of couples hotfooted it to the dance floor, glimpses of Dom's tunic among them; and then he searched for Kel nearby, but couldn't see her. He recognised the even footsteps behind him a moment later, and turned. Kel strode towards him, looking irritated.

"I'm sick of this ball already," she said, shifting on her feet. She turned to watch the dancers.

"Is something wrong with your dress?" Neal asked. Kel stopped rubbing the material around her waist with a sheepish expression.

"Lalasa made me wear a corset. I can barely breathe! I'll get it off later to find my skin rubbed raw."

"It's worth it, though," Neal said, before he even thought about the consequences.

Kel looked at him calculatingly. "And what is _that _meant to mean, Nealan?"

_Well, no point lying now..._

"It means you look beautiful."

Kel was silent for one extremely long moment.

"Well... thank you," she said awkwardly. She blinked several times before continuing, "I guess you look pretty good too."

Pause.

"Well, compared to usual."

Neal laughed, feeling the tension snap. "Really, Kel. You should stop psychologically abusing your 'friends'."

"Fine! We won't _be _friends!" Kel said in a mock-annoyed tone, turning her back to him. The back of her dress was revealed; or not, seeing as there wasn't really a back to her dress. It sunk down to reveal plenty more of her skin, and the sides of the fabric were laced up in a similar way to a corset, but with thick green ribbon. The emerald material was tight against her backside. Neal couldn't help but stare; seriously, what kind of foreign organism had possessed Kel? He had to shake his head to clear it. He could hardly resist the urge to reach out and touch some of her pale, tender skin.

He grabbed her arm. "You want to dance?"

Kel looked out across the dance floor. "Sure."

The song in the background was soft and lilting, meandering through the dancing couples like an infinite unravelling vine. Kel and Neal joined the dancers. It was peacefully silent on the dance floor, and Neal could sense nothing but her bare skin pressed close to his sleeve.

"This is relaxing," she murmured, leaning into his chest as though tired. He gazed down at her, slightly alarmed, and she looked apologetic. "Sorry. This corset is killing me."

Neal took a deep breath. Was it him, or was it boiling in the ballroom?

"It's good to be back though, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he said, a little breathlessly. "Yeah, it is."

She cocked her head at him like a curious puppy. "You seem quiet suddenly," she remarked wryly.

Neal smiled faintly down at her, slightly mesmerised by the mage lights reflected in her eyes.

"Missing Yuki, right?"

Neal was slightly surprised. No, he was _not _missing Yuki. He barely missed her at all. He hadn't thought of her that much, except to moan to himself about their long engagement.

"I expect the balls and all the couples are making you think of her." Her voice was devoid of emotion.

"Uh... I..." He didn't elaborate.

"You what?" prompted Kel.

"Um... don't worry."

The song ended a few moments later, and Kel asked if she could have a rest, complaining about her corset (again). Dom arrived not long after. Neal hastily made his excuses and escaped, feeling stifled and empty.

It was not long afterwards that he retired to his rooms, claiming he felt ill.

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Neal slept very little. He felt irritated and plagued by thoughts, reliving many moments of the ball with no wish to do so. Sleep would not come no matter how much he beckoned to it in the empty depths of night, so he lay in his bed with nothing to keep him company but shadows. The night passed slowly.

When Neal emerged from his room after a less than satisfactory hour of sleep late in the morning, he almost tripped over his own feet. On his way to the mess hall he passed Kel's door. Dom strode round the corner, whistling cheerily with a huge grin plastered across his face. He slowed in front of Kel's door, glancing fleetingly at Neal, and then lifted his fist to knock.

"Hey!" Neal called, sounding as cranky as he looked. He grabbed Dom's arm without warning and dragged his cousin back round the corner where he came from. He was silent for a moment, then a slightly fearful voice accused, "You're courting Kel!"

Dom raised his eyebrows and said, "Yes. Yes I am."

Neal stared. And then he exploded. "Why the HELL didn't you TELL ME!" Dom stepped backwards, attempting to escape the wrath of Neal, if only by a few inches.

"All in good time, Meathead." Neal was rapidly turning purple. "Getting a bit worked up, aren't you? I know she's your friend, but..."

"She's not just my _friend_, Dom! She's my _best_ friend! I've known her for much longer than you have and much better than you ever _will_ so I think I'm _allowed _to be concerned!"

Dom wiped a speck of spit from his cheek. "Woah, Neal. You don't have to _shout."_

Neal didn't reply. His chest heaved from the amount of oxygen required to project his voice to such atomic volume levels.

"Ok, Neal. That's it. _Breathe. _Look, just tell me if you don't like me and Kel courting, ok? I mean, I don't want to split up with her, but we can try and work something out." Dom paused, looking concerned, and continued, "You're never normally like this. Is something wrong with Yuki?"

Neal was lost for words. Why did everyone think his moods revolved around his fiancée? Why did everyone think that Yuki was the centre of his life and without her he would be depressed and/or quick to anger? Yes, he was engaged to Yuki. Yes, she was in the Yamani Isles. And he was fine with that! He couldn't care less. But could he tell them that? Could he say that he really didn't give a damn if he didn't see Yuki for another couple of months? That was the way he felt. But it was as if everyone _expected _him to be in a bad mood because Yuki was in the Isles. Neal didn't know why he wasn't... but could he just break free of their expectations and tell them the truth?

"No... everything's fine..."

"I expect you miss her. Well, don't worry about it, cousin. Everything will be fine in the end."

"Uh... well, don't you have somewhere to be?" Neal said, feeling completely stupid. He just wanted to get out of the conversation now, before Dom began to question Neal's lack of emotion on the matter of his fiancé.

Dom grinned mischievously. "Yeah. Kel's room... hehe..."

Neal didn't even bother to scowl. "Have fun," he said, a little mockingly.

His cousin left, and Neal continued his journey down to the mess, his mood considerably blackened.

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**Yay! I updated...Wanted to do so sooner, but I've been very busy. Had a school romp up to Bristol on Friday. The bus ride there was 2 hours long, which was spent sweltering to death with my face pressed up against the air conditioning thing... but it was a pretty awesome trip, so whatever. I was completely exhausted to death all yesterday.  
**

**No additional notes on this chapter, though, and it's a little shorter than normal. Well, don't worry, the next chapter is _ridiculously _long. Expect an update in about a week, maybe 5 days, seeing as I have four puny days of school left! YAY! Unfortunately, it means the end of my innocent Year 9 days - progressing into full out GCSE coursework and exams coming out my ears in September. **

**To clear things up, I've planned 13 chapters, but I've only written five. I swear, I'm getting onto Chapter 6 right away! I want to spread out my updates though, so I'm not going to update until I've finished chapter 6. Sorry about that, but at least it means there won't be a massively long hiatus or anything. -cough- Tortall Theatre Presents -cough-**

**Thank you very, very, very much for all the reviews! I could cry with happiness, except I'll look like an idiot so I won't... I already get enough weird looks from my family, so bursting into joyous tears probably wouldn't be a good idea. And damnit, I'm rambling. But here's a fact for you: I've only ever had more reviews for a single chapter on the last update of Hazel Mystery (god, I loved writing that story...), which was 19, and I got ten for this chapter, so naturally, I'm ecstatic.**

**Woah. This authors note could have been a chapter on its own... sorry. Thanks for reading and please review, if only to make me very, very happy :) **


	4. FOUR

**--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS---****-----------------**  
**Chapter 4**

Kel welcomed the feel of sturdy armour being strapped around her body and the tingling anticipation that was building in her muscles. It had been so long since she had tilted, and now, here she was; psyching herself up for a tournament. Each piece of armour she donned made her feel more confident and excited, so much so that she wanted to tear out and launch herself onto her horse when she wasn't even done kitting up. Her dreamer's hazel eyes were clouded as Cleon tightened the straps around her sides with a determined expression.

"It's been a while since you've tilted, hasn't it?" he said, a shred of uneasiness in his voice. He was silent for a moment as he tugged on a leather buckle. "But I'm glad I can help you armour up. I don't want there to be any hard feelings about... well, you know..."

"Of course not. I think things have worked out for the best. You look happy - I'm glad."

"And _I'm_ glad you have Dom," Cleon said, grinning slyly. He paused to check his handiwork. As he opened his mouth to continue, a blur rocketed through the tent flap and almost knocked the redhead over.

"KELADRY OF MINDELAN! HAVE YOU GONE _MAD?_" The emerald eyed healer and knight jumped forward, took her shoulders, and shook her hard.

Kel looked at him mildly as he leaned over, chest heaving. "I take it _you _aren't taking part in the tournament?"

"OF COURSE I'M NOT! ANY SANE PERSON WOULD SEE THE STUMP IN THE LISTS AND RUN A HUNDRED MILES!"

Kel began to stretch. She bent over and touched her toes with ease. "Well, you'd better start running if you want to be back in time for dinner." When Neal scowled, she stuck her tongue out playfully.

Beside them, Cleon looked a little uncomfortable. "Anyway... good luck, Kel. I'll be in the crowd." A brief breeze washed through the tent as he left.

"Don't expect _me _to be in the crowd. I don't really want to watch you get slaughtered," Neal drawled.

Kel raised her eyebrows in an extremely Neal-like way. "Thanks for having confidence in me, Neal. A true friend, you are."

Neal looked at her, an odd expression on his face.

"What?"

His expression switched back to blank. "Nothing." Kel waited, clearly expecting a better reply. "It's just - well, you've changed."

"So have you," she shot back. "Everyone changes, Neal."

Neal shook his head. "No, I mean... well, I know we're always changing. But it's only just hit me how different you are."

That wasn't quite the truth. He did look at Kel and see someone different, but he wasn't sure if that was his own doing; he couldn't ever remember looking at Kel and feeling something in his stomach stir, or being content to keep his eyes on her and only her for more than ten minutes at a time. He couldn't recall ever wanting to tie her up just so that she wouldn't go running out into battles, or flinching when he heard her name. Was it her who had changed, or was it him? How was he supposed to know if he was just seeing her differently?

He wished he knew the answers. But the point was, he didn't.

She was looking at him. "That was a really _lame _answer."

"Lame?" he repeated, trying to salvage his humorous mood. "Since when has Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan used the word _lame?"_

"Since you started going all sentimental on me," she retorted, dropping into a chair. "You're still giving me that look."

Neal struggled to find some words.

"If something's wrong, Neal, just tell me."

"I don't know," he said, for lack of any other words on his tongue. "I just - I'm not sure I like you going out to get your lungs punctured and have half your ribs snapped."

Kel snorted in an extremely unladylike manner. "Neal, I'm a knight. This is what knights do, if you haven't already realised."

Neal's stance shifted to one of indignation. "I know that! I just don't like it when you're hurt! Especially when I have to _watch_!" he burst out.

Kel stared, speechless. _Did Neal just lose it? _She didn't have the words to reply, struggling desperately to piece together a sentence in her mind.

Luckily, her loss for words was interrupted by a man entering the tent where tournament participators readied themselves for their run. "Excuse me, sir, Lady Knight," the young man murmured respectfully, "the next round is starting. It's time to mount up." The man's voice jolted Kel out of speechlessness, and she turned to Neal.

"Really, Neal, I'm touched, but I'm afraid I have an appointment with my opponent's lance. See you later, ok?"

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It was her second run at her former knightmaster, Lord Raoul, wind slamming into her skin and armour with considerable force. She revelled in the feeling of hardly being able to breathe properly because the air rushed by so quickly. _Focus, _she thought, pushing back the task of enjoying the breathlessness in favour of trying to hit the hand sized target on his shield. She began to raise her lance, liking the feel of the solid weight in her control, and levelled it at Raoul's shield.

A sudden twinge in her bicep made the lance wobble, and it was thrown off to the side as it struck its target. Unprepared and startled by this mistake, she was knocked from the saddle and couldn't bring her arms forward in time to break her fall.

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The darkness smothering her senses began to lift, allowing a little weak light to filter through her eyelids. Heated voices were revealed to her ears.

"...but you could have gone easier on her -"

"We all lose sometimes, Queenscove, and we should learn -"

"I DON'T CARE... You hurt her! And you used to be her knightmaster, too - I thought that you might remember that before you smashed her in!"

"Letting her win wouldn't achieve anything - Kel would understand that!"

"Don't think you'll be jousting with her again - I swear, when she wakes up -"

"I've already woken up," Kel mumbled, wincing as her dry lips mashed against each other. She decided to leave the issue of Raoul and Neal's argument until later. "Did I break anything?"

"Just a few ribs," Raoul said cheerfully, moving to a seat by her bed. He poured water into a cup and held it to her lips. "You're healed up already, so it's fine."

"I'm sorry? How is it _fine?" _Neal interrupted, cheeks flushed.

"I think your healer friend is trying to get me to leave. Have a chat with him, Kel. Calm him down before he tries to run me through with a syringe." Raoul patted her arm reassuringly and departed from the room, leaving an agitated Neal in his wake.

"Neal, Raoul's right. Calm down."

"What, so I just sit back and let him get away with breaking your ribs?" he said, pacing to and fro in front of her bed in the infirmary.

"Yes. Yes, you do."

Neal stared at her. "I know you're a knight, Kel, but this is just, well, stupid!"

"I'm going to get hurt, Neal." She smiled faintly and said, "I _want _to get hurt. I endured eight years of training just so I could go out and get hurt."

Neal sucked in a gargantuan breath, ready to shout, when a voice from the door cut him off. "I can't remember raising such a brute! Sir Raoul practically ran out the door."

"Father, I'd appreciate it if you don't interrupt before I'm about to shout my head off."

Duke Baird strolled into view, a mild look on his face. "Kel can go now. Would you like me to wrap her up in cotton wool and bubble wrap((1)) first, or should I tie her to the bed and keep her here for eternity?"

Neal scrunched his nose up. "The latter, if you don't mind."

Baird rolled his eyes. Approaching Kel's bed, he pulled the sheets off her aching body and offered a callused hand. Taking it, Kel was securely brought to her feet. "Off you go. Take care of her, Neal."

"Of _course _I'll take care of her! I'm _really_ going to risk my life shouting at a giant-killer, and then just let it all go to waste," Neal said, voice still a little strained.

Baird narrowed his eyes at his son. "Maybe we should talk, you and I. Kel, you should go and get something to eat."

Kel recognised a hint when she heard one. Pausing to bow and thank Duke Baird for healing her, she trailed out the door, resisting the urge to eavesdrop. _Neal _has _been acting up lately. I hope he sorts whatever it is out with his father._

The palace halls were empty, yet full with the echoes of her footsteps. It unnerved her, the loneliness of those corridors, so she hurried down to the mess with as much speed as she could muster, taking into account her tiredness from her healing. The chatter from the mess hall hit her ear drums viciously.

One of the older palace servants ladled slop onto her plate with a grin (was it just Kel's eyes playing up, or had that grin been extremely malicious?) "What's this?" Kel asked, a little mortified by the lumpy brown gloop in question. It didn't look like anything she'd ever seen in her life.

"It's meat, dearie!" cackled the old lady, brandishing her ladle. "Nice and 'ealthy! _Enjoy!_" Kel was waved away. It seemed she was not alone in her unsure reaction; men and women all around the room were dissecting the contents of the slop with disturbed expressions. Hiding wide eyes and minor amounts of disgust, Kel headed over to her friends, taking a seat beside Cleon. The seat on her other side was empty.

"WHAT IS THIS? WHAT IS THIS? WHERE DID THEY FIND IT?"((2)) Merric was hissing, poking his meaty slop vehemently with a fork. It squelched violently in reply. Owen was wincing at the noise.

"Sorry about this, Kel! Where's Neal?"

"He's at the infirmary," she told him.

"I should think so! You should have seen him, Kel, he went so mad! I thought he was going to _explode _when you fell off your horse!"

Kel grimaced. "Don't remind me."

"It was a _graceful _fall," someone behind her said. "Brings to mind the first attempts of spring chicks to take flight and flow fluid with the breeze."((3))

The person crept up behind her, turned her head to the side, and kissed her gently. Kel felt heat rush to her cheeks.

"I wish you'd say hello normally," she said, completely embarrassed. It felt like everyone was staring at her.

"That wouldn't be any fun," Dom remarked, grinning at her mischievously. "Got to spice up our relationship, huh?"

Kel was mortified. She slipped the stray emotion behind her mask, and mock-glared at him.

"Ah, don't mind me, Kel. I'm just teasing." He looked around the table. "Neal's taking his time, isn't he?"

"He'll be here soon. He'll collapse if he doesn't have something to eat soon."

"Excluding vegetables, of course," joked Cleon, which drew out a few laughs.

"About Neal," Dom began, putting his fork down and turning his full attention to his lover. "Kel, do you think he has feelings for you?"

Kel dropped her cutlery, choking. "_What_? Are you _joking_?"

"Of course not! Think about it!"

"Don't be stupid," she said, but couldn't deny that he had a point. "He's engaged to Yuki!"

Dom looked at her intently. "And...?"

Kel shook her head, mind numb. "We're best friends. We're both with someone. We're both _sane. _Neal does _not_ have feelings for me," she said, loud enough that any of her friends that hadn't been listening were now. She almost cowered under their gaze.

"Maybe I'm wrong," Dom said, returning to his meal. "But he's acting differently around you, I know that much. Think about it, Kel, there's enough signs, if you only care to read them."

Kel lowered her gaze, head reeling.

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Solemn, thoughtful and weary were the best words to describe Kel's mood as she trudged up the steps to the palace wall. It was her turn on scouting duty that evening, and despite her solid desire for sleep, she was glad. It gave her time to think, or, if she was sick of those thoughts, perhaps it would distract her. At that moment in time, there was only one thing she was sure of - that her situation with Neal was like a huge knot that would take so much time and effort to unravel that it was hardly worth unravelling at all.

She knew he'd been acting differently. Of course she knew; he was her best friend. She'd noticed it a while ago, and it had made her feel almost... itchy - or maybe there wasn't even a word to describe it, because it was just plain _weird. _She wasn't even sure it had been getting worse. Neal swung into moods she'd never seen him in before. That day when she'd fallen off her horse, he hadn't even talked to her, but watched her with a kind of arrogant sorrow in his eyes. Even though they'd made up (the tension had been unbearable), Kel still felt that Neal wasn't telling her something, or hadn't really forgiven her at all.

There were other times, when he'd been violent or uncomfortable around his cousin. That in itself was completely odd; Kel always had the feeling that Neal and Dom got along so well it was impossible for them to even think bad thoughts of each other (dare she say it, they were "like two peas in a pod"?). Maybe she was wrong. It just worried her, because suddenly Neal seemed so alien and cold. She couldn't reach out to him anymore, because she didn't even know what she was trying to grasp. It was like searching for help in the dark.

There was very little she understood anymore, not even why their friendship was being gently distorted. Now, when she saw him, she felt a mixture of worry, dread and thrill consuming her body, and never knew why she might feel any of these. It rushed to her veins and intoxicated them, making her feel both hot and cold, and it was the most bizarre sensation she had ever felt. But it made her head spin, and for that, she hated it.

As she thought back to the conversation with Dom over her meal, she felt her low spirits sink even further into the shadows. What she would have given for him to have at least say it somewhere private! All her friends had heard. Surely if Dom had felt the need to scramble her sanity like that, he could at least have done it when they were alone. The only thing she'd felt like doing at that moment was impaling Dom's tongue with her fork (well, maybe that was just a _little _over exaggerated). Yes, she knew that he had not meant to disorient her, but she could not help feeling bitter at him for saying something so bluntly and so publicly.

_This won't do, _Kel thought, and tried to think of something else. She settled at the wall, leaning against the stone in front of her and watching the sun leak down to the horizon. Pink, purple and orange glazed the clouds and treetops. The skies were an interesting fiery pink, streaked with rosy purple and decorated with a few birds drifting on the calm breeze. The vivid colours reminded Kel of the blossom viewing parties in the Isles, and it calmed her.

Slowly, she settled into a kind of limbo between reality and her dreams.

"Kel! I didn't know you were on scouting duty too."

Kel was wrenched out of her peaceful limbo. In a way, it made her angry, but at the same time, she felt suddenly very light-headed and cool.

"Neal... I'm not really in the mood for talking right now. If that's okay."

"Oh," he said, joining her at the wall. "Sure."

They were silent for a long time, absorbing the view.

"Unless you want to tell me what's wrong."

Kel regarded him wearily. "I would if I knew what it was myself," she said.

"Mmm," he replied quietly, flexing his hands against the cold stone. His eyes swept across the sky once again. "It's peaceful, isn't it? And beautiful."

She didn't reply.

"It's odd being back here. We've been away for so long that sometimes I doubted we'd ever get to come home." He was suddenly smiling faintly at the air in front of him, the vibrant colours of the sky reflected in his eyes. "I guess that's what life is always going to be like, until we get killed or we turn into old prunes. It's a little frightening, don't you think? It's going to get tougher than this, surely. And we'll barely ever see our family." At this point, he shifted to cover her gloved hand, sprawled on the chilly stone, with his own. "But at least I know my best friend will always be there at my side."

Kel began to lift her gaze to look at him, almost reluctantly.

A horn started to blow loudly, accompanied with a shout and the echoes of footsteps. "Bandits in the forest!"

The two knights exchanged wide-eyed glances before speeding down the wall to the steps.

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"How many are there?"

"About twenty, milady. We were thinking of attacking head on-"

"Don't be stupid," Neal interrupted. "They'll definitely anticipate that. They'll have scouts, even if they haven't heard anything already - we should split, and sneak round."

"Lady?" asked a young soldier, wanting confirmation on Neal's suggestion. "We only have twenty-one as it is, including you and Sir Nealan, and splitting up would make us weaker-"

"But we would have the element of surprise, and... hm. Listen to Neal. Split into two groups, and go to the sides. Pick off any archers or scouts first, and then look for weaknesses where we can enter. Stealth is essential - one man more than them is hardly an advantage, so we need to be sure of our chances. Got it?"

With that, their group split into two, Kel's group to the right and Neal's to the left, and they crept into the Royal Forest. It was hard to keep quiet with the crunch of leaves and plants under your feet, and the darkness only made things worse. Neal almost walked into a tree trunk several times.

"I can see movement in the trees," Kel whispered, and her group slowed. "We won't be able to hit any archers or scouts from here. There's a hillock near here, at the spring - one of you come with me to scout, and take down any threats with arrows."

A very young man with a broadsword volunteered, and she had him stand a few metres down from her position and look out for anything suspicious. Kel lay down as flat as she could behind a mess of bushes, and squinted for movement. She spent a while like this, trying to determine whether the shaking leaves were animals or bandits. Eventually, she peered over the bushes and pulled her bow up, nocking an arrow and letting it loose as quickly as she could. Leaves rustled as someone fell from a treetop. _That was a fluke, _she thought, _unless my accuracy became near-perfect overnight. _She swallowed, and tried to focus. In her concentration, she didn't hear the muffled footsteps as her scout fled.

"Hey! Why are you here?" Neal whispered hotly to the flustered man who'd just crashed through the trees. "Are you trying to kill us? Be quiet and calm down. Did you get separated?"

"They know we're here!" the young man announced, dropping his broadsword on the floor. Sweat dripped down his face. "Their archers tried to shoot me! I bet that they've some on this side, too! And there's nowhere for you to shoot them down!"

"Did you get separated?" repeated Neal, suddenly feeling light-headed.

"No, I was scouting for the Lady Knight while she used her bow, and -"

"Is she alone? Why did you leave her?"

"The archers, sir, I just -"

"You _idiot! _When you're scouting, and you see something, you have to _tell _whoever you're scouting for!" Neal turned to the oldest man in his group. "You carry on, I have to find Kel." As he rushed past, he deliberately crashed into Kel's runaway scout, aiming his elbow to knock the air from the man's lungs. The man buckled over, groaning. Neal didn't look back.

He didn't have a clue where Kel was, which was going to make things hard. There was no communication between the two groups, as Neal was the only mage (when he'd found that out ten minutes earlier, he'd felt very superior. Now he cursed and regretted this completely). He ought to have swallowed his pride and gone back to ask, but he didn't want to. The only thing he knew was that this might be urgent with archers prowling scant feet from her position. He had to hurry, he had to run, this could be everything - life or death. Just pushing himself a little harder might be the difference between losing her or keeping her.

He was hardly even bothering to stay quiet now, moving as quickly as he could without stumbling over the various obstacles in his path. The further he went, running with enough fervour to convince an onlooker he was running purely for his own life, the more he became angered; by the way he couldn't find her, and the way the bushes and brambles seemed to be reaching out to catch him like spider's webs. Thoughts raged in his head, searching frantically for a way he'd find her quicker. Where could she be?

Where were the best places to shoot arrows from? Where would Kel have the clearest view, the most cover? There were several places, Neal decided. She could've climbed a tree - but that was hardly practical - she might fall - and he knew she still disliked heights. Where else?

The thought occurred so quickly he almost tripped over his own feet. He turned sharply but ended up skidding on the leaf litter and falling into an extremely painful position - straddled on a large tree trunk. Allowing himself only a few moments to shrivel up in pain, he forced himself up and sprinted frantically through the trees. The trees began to thin a little, and he burst out into a mass of bushes and thick nettles. A silhouette was stark against the sky.

Something drew Neal's eyes to the side where the trees were still growing thickly. He saw a shadow shift in the leaves of a big oak, and then he realised what was happening. Before he even knew it himself, he had torn through the nettles like a monster and leapt onto Kel's silhouette. A squelch resounded in the air as they hit the muddy ground, and a whistle followed as an arrow flew over their heads. They lay still and silent for several minutes, trying to suppress their heavy breathing. When there was complete silence, Neal twisted so that Kel could breathe better.

"Sorry," Kel whispered, voice choked. For a moment he thought it was due to tears, but he dismissed that thought immediately. It turned out she'd fallen into the mud with her mouth wide open in surprise. She spat a few times, grimacing. "You want to get off now?"

"Sorry," he murmured back, grinning sheepishly. "Better mud than blood, right?"

"Neal." She paused, stewing up some words, and looked up into his face. They were startlingly close, just a few inches away from each other, and it made Neal feel suddenly breathless. Her gaze wondered around his face and the sky behind him, and she opened her mouth to begin to speak, but closed it again a second later. As he waited patiently for her to formulate a sentence, a few shouts echoed over from the middle of the forest. The fight had begun.

"Let's go join in, shall we?"

And they lurched up, mud clinging to their clothes, skin and hair, and headed back through the nettles.

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The battle was short, and lasted no more than fifteen minutes. By the time Kel and Neal charged into the fray, there were only ten bandits left. By the battle's end, seven bandits had been taken captive, and the rest were lying dead messily on the cold soil. They did, however, suspect that at least two had gotten away - they were probably archers, like the one who had tried to shoot Kel. The man who had scouted for Kel and then ran away was also in the battle with his broadsword, and Neal had found it difficult to resist the temptation of run him through with a swift jab of his sword, under the pre-rehearsed speech, "I thought he was a bandit. I'm _very _sorry, sir, I won't do it again". Kel had almost been shot because of him, and that was enough justification for death in Neal's mind. It was practically attempted murder, what that scout had done.

Some of the palace men-at-arms checked the bodies strewn on the floor were all devoid of life, while others set to work caring for any wounded. Neal headed for Kel like some sort of homing missile, having watched her out of the corner of his eye the entire battle. He'd seen her get cut across her thigh - it looked shallow, but it was long and bled quite profusely. He ordered her to sit on a short tree stump while he examined the wound.

"That scout you had? He ran off, squealing about archers. I'm trying to decide the best way to slaughter him right now."

"Calm down, Neal," Kel said, shaking her head with a smile. "He's not seen much battling yet. He's as green as grass! You can't blame him for running." The look on Neal's face told her he clearly _did_ blame him, but she ignored it. Neal's fingers probed her tender skin, and she winced. "Aren't you being just a little bit overprotective?"

He turned his head up to meet her eyes. "I already told you. I hate it when you get hurt."

Kel tried to stare him out, but gave up and shrugged. "Back to the palace with you, Queenscove. Leave my cut alone."

Neal pretended to scowl. "Don't blame me if you wake up to the smell of rotting flesh," he said, sticking his tongue out. "Come on, then."

Half the men stayed behind to bury corpses, while everyone else had to lead the way up to the palace with the captured bandits. Luckily Kel and Neal had been spared the duty of digging messy graves for the bodies. Neal especially felt that they'd done far too much of that at the Scanran border. They were about to head into the palace when someone stepped out the doorway in front of them. "Hey, you! I was worried to death."

Neal suddenly realised that the speaker sounded remarkably like him in his overprotective state, and looked on as Dom and Kel embraced tightly. Was he really becoming as guarding and defensive about Kel as Dom was?

"Ick! You're all muddy! And you too, Neal. What in Mithros' name have you been doing? Wallowing in the mud like pigs? Oh - well, we do that every day with the Own, I suppose. Kel, come over to my room once you're washed up, okay?"

"Sure, Dom."

Neal decided he didn't like the way that Dom's request sounded more like an order, so he glowered at Dom's back as he left again.

"We're not really that muddy, are we?" Kel asked him, tugging at her tunic and scratching at the semi-dried mud caked onto its surface. She squinted at Neal's tunic for a minute, then reached out and ran her fingers over it. This unexpected action made Neal shiver, but he tried to steel himself to be as emotionless as a Yamani. "Look, your tunic is ripped to shreds!How did you manage_ that_?"

"I was trying to find you. It was very... brambly..." he explained, trailing off lamely. He couldn't help but shudder, even though it was still fairly warm outside.

Kel's gaze rose to his face. "You're all scratched, too." Her eyes drilled into his for a moment. "If you think my cut is bad, then maybe you should look in a mirror. You're practically red raw." She lifted her hand and swept it through his hair as he did when he was nervous or impatient, and dried mud cracked and showered down onto his shoulders. "Your dandruff problem isn't looking too good either, Meathead."

Neal half expected her to start adjusting the collar of his tunic as she used to when they were pages, ready for exams or banquets. He remembered with some humour that he and his friends had reported to Kel for inspection, and Neal had almost never passed her standards. There was always a tunic to straighten, a collar to tug. Seaver was always impeccably neat, and Cleon's hair always looked like he'd just rolled out of bed. Come to think of it, Neal's had as well, but someone had once mentioned that this made him look gruffly handsome. He doubted anyone had ever said the same of Cleon, though.

When he ripped himself out of memories and random musings, he looked fleetingly at Kel - her eyes, bright with moonlight and amusement, her flushed skin, and her full lips that were curved upwards ever so slightly at the sides. He was instantly flooded with emotion, but he couldn't puzzle most of it out - he thought he felt regret, but didn't really understand what he could be regretting, and then affection and awe and excitement, joy and dread, and lots of others that rushed past so quickly he couldn't read them in time.

He flinched away in a sudden bout of self-consciousness, and then realised Kel had done the same. She hurriedly bade him goodnight, and rushed off.

Neal brought a hand up to his cheek, missing the warmth of Kel's breath on his skin.

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_Additional Notes_

_((1)) Well, obviously they didn't have bubble wrap, but I couldn't think of anything else to put. Plus, bubble wrap is so cool (it's the best part of getting something in the post...o.O) I didn't want to delete it._

_((2)) A mockery of Nikki from Big Brother in the UK. Yeah, I know, I've been sucked into the huge reality TV market. Oh well. I laughed so hard at Nikki (damn, she was evicted!) that I thought my lungs would pop. Some of the stuff she said was classic. "I can feel the venom pouring out of me as I BREATHE!"  
_

_((3)) Very poetic, huh? Completely soppy. Not like Dom at all. Meh. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Sorry.__I know I'm not very good at writing Dom in character. I admit it. He's not really in the books that much, so I don't have a lot to build on._

**Also, you'll get to find out what Baird and Neal discussed in a later chapter. It'll be a flashback - I know, cheesy. But the bandit thing was too.**

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, I thought I'd be kind and update early, even though I haven't finished Chapter 6 yet. I had such a hectic week - my last four days at school. I'm a little sad to see it go, though I can't even explain how ecstatic I am that it's the summer holidays. I'm also remodelling my profile, but that's only half done so far. Another reason for not finishing C6 yet is that my dog, Lulu, who is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, gave birth to six beautiful puppies Thursday morning! It's not possible to put into words how cute they are. They're so small and pwitty. We have to keep an eye on them, though, and we'll be selling them in September -tear falls from eye-. Though we might be keeping one. I hope. **

**One thing that's been mentioned in reviews is how Kel and Neal don't appear to be getting together any time soon. Well, I should apologise about that - I'm the kind of person who prefers that they don't get together for ages. And I don't really plan on changing that because it's what you might prefer. I probably have the strongest opinion on writing just because you want lots of reviews and readers to like you, rather than writing for enjoyment. I feel like screaming when someone says, "give me five reviews and I'll update." That isn't what writing is about at all. **

**Talking about reviews, thank you so much for all the comments and support. It means a lot to me to get so many, although if you're commenting anonymously then remember I won't be able to reply. Hopefully I'll be able to update quite soon as I have much more spare time now, but we'll see. Next chapter is quite long again, so maybe you'll look forward to it. And of course I'm not going to abandon this story - this is my absolute priority. And jeez, this is the longest note I've ever written. I apologise muchly.**

**And I'm very much looking forward to reading your comments, ideas and questions. Thanks for reading, hope you liked some of the more fluffy moments, and I'll see you next chapter.  
**


	5. FIVE

**--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS---****-----------------**  
**Chapter 5**

"Kel! Kel, for Mithros' sake, get up!"

Kel pulled the door open, bleary-eyed. Neal bounced around in the doorway with an agitated expression plastered on his face. "Sorry, Neal. I don't normally get up late, but -" She paused, yawning like a content cat by the fireside, and turned to look out her window. "Hey, it's only just past dawn! We don't have anything to do today, so is it really necessary to wake me up so early?"

Neal was a little speechless; at both her frankness and her lack of clothing. She wore a very close-fitting silk nightgown with thin straps over her shoulders, and the fabric ended a couple of inches above her knees. He didn't think he'd ever seen her wearing something so revealing before, and he couldn't ever imagine her wearing something like that _willingly_. Well, then again, he realised, no one would really get to see her in her nightgown anyway if she only wore it when sleeping. And then he heard a voice.

"Gods, Meathead, go away. The bed's getting cold."

He froze. _No way!_

Kel continued to look at Neal calculatingly. "Oh, Great Mother Goddess. Don't tell me that Mia girl is doing the dawn shift in the mess hall again- she's barely 16 years old! I think she's betrothed anyway, Neal, and so are you, in case you forgot. I swear you'd get a crush on a bloody corpse if it came within ten foot of you."

Neal just gawped at her. "Uh..." _Since when have you been so rude in the mornings?_, he wanted to ask, though that hardly seemed the best thing to say at that moment. Something like, _Why the hell are you and Dom acting like a married couple? _seemed more appropriate, but he didn't say that either.

"So anyway, as Dom already said, please leave. It's obviously too early for you to be forming complete words, so perhaps you should go back to bed too."

"I thought you were going round to Dom's room last night, not Dom coming to yours," he burst out, and instantly regretted it. The look on Kel's face successfully blended confusion and surprise.

"Well, Nealan, we fancied trying out some different locations," Dom's voice called, and he joined Kel in the doorway. He wore only some wrinkled breeches that looked as though they'd only just been thrown on. Probably because they just had. "Really, is there something you need? As long as you're not taking that as an invitation - I mean, I'm not really in the mood for a threesome, and I'm quite worn out from -"

"Stop there!" Neal interrupted, thoroughly horrified. "I just came to tell Kel there's a meeting in an hour, and that she needs to be there." At this he sneered and added, with a direct look at Dom, "it's knights only."

"Nights only?" Dom repeated, an innocent look of confusion on his face. "I'm afraid mine and Kel's nights are fully booked already." He matched Neal's sneer, but trained his face blank when Kel glared at him.

"Okay, Neal, I'll be there. Thanks for telling me." She slammed the door in an extremely un-Kel-like manner. But then again, everything she'd said since she opened the door had been quite un-Kel-like, including her apparent lack of concern that she was standing in the doorway, in full view of every single passing person, in a skimpy nightgown. Maybe she wasn't concerned, but Neal was. Just think of the scandal that sort of thing caused. He wasn't sure whether anyone had walked past but he hoped not.

He then realised he was lost in thoughts, gazing blandly at Kel's door. He turned to leave, but not before he "overheard":

"Dom, I'm not sure I appreciate you making jokes about our sex life to the entire hallway."

"I wasn't! It was only Neal there. And anyway, the look on his face was priceless!"

"Oh yeah? Well, what happened to your amazing hypothesis you made at supper last night?" (yes, readers, she's talking about the 'I-think-Neal-has-feelings-for-you' hypothesis.)

"What? Oh, calm down, Kel, I was just joking around. Taking a light-hearted approach to these kinds of things make them easier to handle! Come back to bed for half an hour, won't you?"

There was a begrudging sound, and then silence. Neal wondered what Dom's 'amazing hypothesis' was, and strolled away down the hall in deep thought.

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Kel rocketed through the door, causing it to slam back against the stone wall. Heads turned to stare at her, and she blushed a brilliant tomato red.

"Sorry," she murmured, shamefaced, and crept over to her seat. Neal raised her eyebrows at her in a classic Queenscove manner, but she shook her head and turned to look at King Jon.

"As I was saying, we've received a message from the Yamani Isles. The Copper Isles seem to think it's a good idea to keep sending raiding parties up to the Yamani Isles' south coast, and they're finding it hard to cope. We're sending some of our spare forces over there as soon as possible."

"We don't _have _any spare forces!" Raoul said loudly. He sat at the top end of the long table where meetings were held, with the King at the head of the table. About fifty people were gathered in the room, mainly knights, but there were a few others including Commander Buri of the Riders and the leader of the Tortallan Navy, Jeron of Blue Harbour. "Even before the Scanran war, our forces were stretched to their limits, and summer is the prime season for immortal attacks! We need every knight and warrior we can get!"

"We have to respect the alliance, _Raoul,_" Jon said, voice dangerously low. "I know the marriage of Roald and Princess Shinkokami has bonded us with them, but one of the terms of the treaty is that we are allies, and we must _help _each other."

Raoul shifted in his seat unhappily, eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything.

"Anyway, the only ferry that isn't yet fully booked leaves in four days time, but we managed to get three places on a ship leaving in two days. We'd like Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, Sir Nealan of Queenscove, and Sir Cleon of Kennan to take those three places. You'll need to leave at a few hours past midday. We've yet to decide the others who will be going, but I think about ten knights will be all that we can spare, and they'll be leaving tomorrow. Buri, Jeron, we also think it would be wise to prepare your forces in case the Copper Islanders decide to take a little holiday in Tortall." He stood from his seat, face solemn. "We ask that everyone be prepared to leave tomorrow. You'll receive confirmation of who else is leaving by midday."

"Yessir," replied half the room in a robotic tone. It was a conditioned reflex.

"Keladry, Nealan, and Cleon, could you stay behind for a moment? The rest of you can leave."

Kel, Neal and Cleon exchanged glances as they pushed through the crowd to the head of the table. Jon took his seat again, and gestured for them to do the same. His callused hands pulled out a map, and he rolled it out across the table's breadth. "It will be a day and a half's ride to the Port, here," he said, and waved his hand a little lazily. Sparkling magic rose to mark the path they would take. Looking at it made Kel's eyes hurt. "Your ship will leave in the late evening, about 9pm, and it's due to arrive in, again, about a day and a half."

"Then you should be taken to the capital. They'll know who you are. They will probably give you a day of rest before you're ordered to set off again. Take your orders from the Emperor - he's a wise man. I expect you'll be sent to the coast with some of the Yamani forces, and you'll stay there for at least ten days. In any case, you'll probably return to Tortall in twenty days from now. Let us hope all three of you will return. The Copper Islanders are notoriously harsh... may the Goddess bless your path."

"So mote it be," they murmured (another conditioned reflex). Kel wondered how the King managed to make it all sound so simple when it obviously wouldn't be. The King rose, they bowed to each other, and then they left the room. Kel caught a glimpse of the King sucking up the magic from the map as she left.

Silently, the three knights headed for their rooms to throw together the necessary items for the travelling. Kel was so busy watching Neal she almost walked straight past her door; _why does he look so solemn? _she wondered. _He's going to get to see Yuki! Shouldn't he be excited? _She waved goodbye, stepping into her room and closing the door firmly. _But then, why aren't I happy for him? Don't I want him to see his fiancée who he's been yearning for since she left for the Isles?_

Kel didn't want to think about it, and threw herself into packing her things.

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Neal strolled into the stables, a few saddlebags slung over his shoulder. He'd surprised himself at how swiftly he'd packed - the stables were deserted except for the horses, and he would have expected Kel to be here already, preparing her brute of a horse for the ride. Magewhisper, Neal's trusty steed, was right at the other end of the stable, so he began the trek to the other side.

As he walked past each horse, he snuck a look at them. Some were scrawny beasts, bred for running and speed. There were others, too; grand warhorses who towered over the others, strong and big with hooves as vicious as swords, and saddles and tack fit for a King. There weren't many empty stalls, but some of the horses here weren't used at all. He passed Peachblossom's stall, and glanced at the gelding fleetingly from under his widow's peak. Beside him was Hoshi's stall, Kel's other horse that Raoul had given her. The mare was stunning, but looked like a runt compared to Peachblossom in the next stall along. Neal stopped to gaze at Hoshi, and then he realised Hoshi wasn't alone - two figures stood in his stall, pressed against the wall. Kel and Dom didn't even realise they had an audience, and continued to kiss passionately with enough fervour to make the air suddenly seem a few degrees warmer. Neal couldn't see Dom's other hand, and he wasn't sure he wanted to; by the looks of things, it had crawled under Kel's shirt and was stroking her back.

Neal rushed away as quietly as possible, wondering why he suddenly felt like he'd just seen something much worse. He used to kiss Yuki like that all the time, so why was he reacting like a little kid?

He took as little time as he could preparing Magewhisper, despite the fact that any disturbing noises Kel and Dom managed to make were drowned out by the horses' whinnying, snorting and munching. As he led Magewhisper out the door, glad that he didn't have to pass their stall again, he caught himself wondering when the last time was that he'd been kissed that passionately. He couldn't even remember, and left the stables miserably.

Ten minutes later, he was joined at the palace gates by Cleon, who was grinning like a madman. "Ah, young love, eh?" he said.

Neal scowled.

"Cheer up, Neal! We're going to the Yamani Isles. You know what that means, don't you?" Cleon was still smiling so broadly that Neal began to think he was trying to blind him with his teeth.

"What?" asked Neal half-heartedly, unable to match Cleon's enthusiasm. For all that they had been friends for years, Cleon's permanent elation was not something Neal had ever revelled in. In fact, it had always felt like Cleon was trying to steal the attention away from Neal. Which Neal wasn't particularly happy about.

"You're going to see Yuki, you idiot," Cleon said, looking at him disbelievingly. "I can't believe you forgot."

"Oh. Right."

Even Neal was surprised by his own lack of enthusiasm - this was his betrothed they were talking about, and it sounded more like they were grimly discussing the mission ahead. Neal couldn't remember talking about much else except Yuki at New Hope. No doubt Kel and Merric had been completely bored out their heads by the miniscule variety in their conversations. It had been Yuki, Yuki, Yuki - every spare moment, as they saw the war winding down, had been occupied by thoughts of seeing Yuki again. And now he wasn't even snatching up an opportunity to talk about her. He couldn't figure out why he'd suddenly lost interest in what had once been the most bewitching subject that had ever jumped off Neal's tongue, even beating some of the rather... _interesting _discussions he'd heard as a squire to Lady Alanna.

"I'm a bit worried they'll hold a ball," Cleon said, abandoning the previous subject. He gazed off into the distance as though imagining something. "I guess I'll go with Kel if they do. I don't think she'll mind. Well, I wouldn't mind at all..."

Neal's cloudy daydream suddenly snapped and he turned to Cleon with blazing eyes. "Shut up, Cleon. You're married."

Slowly turning to look at his friend, Cleon's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. _Talk about a mood swing!_

"Even a fool can see you still like her. Give it up, or at least try to _hide _it better. Always thinking about _your _feelings, never -" He would have continued if he hadn't been abruptly butted by a large weight at his side, and had to sacrifice words to ensure he didn't fall flat on his face. Outraged, he spun round, only to find Magewhisper dawdling exactly where he'd been standing moments before. That was then he saw Kel strolling over with Hoshi, and outrage melted away into gratefulness. Magewhisper looked immensely pleased with himself. Neal tried to ignore the fact that the palace animals' intelligence was becoming increasingly eerie.

They set off. To Kel, it seemed like both Cleon and Neal were avoiding making eye contact with her. If either of them did by accident, they'd tear their eyes away and turn their attention to the sky. Thankfully, Cleon was not so cold, and he and Kel soon shared a well-built conversation on what the Isles were like. Neal, who straggled behind them, soon tired of their slow pace and directed Magewhisper ahead. Now Neal led the group.

This was effectively how the next eight hours were spent, save for a few breaks when they stopped for a snack and to let their horses rest. Cleon's cheery conversations with Kel felt like sparks of electric that dug into Neal's skin, making him flinch and shiver with suppressed anger (or was it angst?). As darkness began to fall like an ash-black fog, Neal continued to lead, and Cleon continued to babble insistently about anything that came to mind. Neal was bristling with fury - couldn't that stupid oaf be quiet for just one _minute? _- and was ready to turn and shout until his throat was raw when Kel raised her voice and pointed to something ahead.

"It's getting late. That's an inn, isn't it? We can stop there for the night."

Neal grumpily obliged. While Cleon and Kel finished tending to their horses in the inn's stables, Neal headed inside and rented three adjoining rooms for the night. When the innkeeper, a skinny man with a large, angular nose and bushy eyebrows, asked if he'd like a drink, Neal agreed instantly. Cleon and Kel soon joined him, and they took a table and ordered a meal.

"Here ye are! A nice, 'ot meal. Nice after the long, hard road, eh?" The innkeeper's laughter was more like a bark, and Neal found himself comparing the man to one of the ugly dogs he'd once seen in the Corus slums. He almost smiled at this thought, but the faint turning up of his lips was soon ripped away and swallowed by his bottled-up anger.

They ate in silence at first, the only sound being the chomping and spearing of meat (Neal ignored his vegetables, and Kel, for some reason, did not tell him to eat them). Neal kept thinking he felt someone watching him, but when he looked up, both his companions' eyes were on their plates and not on him. The inn was almost completely empty, so he didn't know who else could be watching him.

"Well," Cleon began, putting down his cutlery and sitting back in his chair, "that was a treat, wasn't it?"

Neal glared; Kel glanced up, but continued eating anyway.

"It's very quiet," the redhead continued. "What's the matter, Kel? Missing Dom already?"

Kel put down her fork and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Actually, Cleon, we're not even courting anymore."

An atomic "_What_!" exploded from Neal's mouth and he knocked his plate from the table as he flung his arms out in surprise. Food and broken china flew across the floor, much to the disdain of the few other people in the room. The innkeeper was at Neal's side almost instantly. Neal could do nothing but stare, open-mouthed, firstly at Cleon and Kel, then the mess on the floor, and finally at the innkeeper.

"Get out!" the man barked, spittle launching itself from his lips. Neal grimaced and rose from the table hurriedly. "Look what ye've done! I'm sure yer room fees will cover the cost of your clumsiness. Now get out of my inn!"

Luckily, Kel seemed to find the entire ordeal quite amusing, and though she didn't smile, Neal could read it from her eyes. Wiping the innkeeper's spit from his face, he and his two companions hurried out the door. Cleon was not the only one who burst out into laughter as soon as they'd collected their horses under the innkeeper's rough glare.

"Where now, then?" Cleon asked, still wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. "Why don't we ask our good friend Sir Nealan?"

"Look, it wasn't my fault!" he repeated for about the twentieth time, which had been his only answer to any clump of words directed at him since they'd been thrown out. "I just - oh, shut up!" Cleon was once again shaking with suppressed laughter, fiery hair bobbing up and down in the retreating light.

"It's fine, Neal," Kel said, straight-faced. "I can't say I really liked the look of that mangled broccoli either."

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When the darkness of sleep began to clear, Neal felt like his eyelids had somehow been glued together. He'd slept patchily due to an extremely rough, chilly summer night "breeze", although it was more of a gale, and it had chilled Neal to the bone, even through all his layers of clothing, his thick bedroll and several blankets. He forced his eyes open, rubbing them drowsily, and pushed himself up. Scanning the grassy area around him, he searched out his comrades.

"Hey!" he moaned, voice slurred as if he was drunk. There was absolutely no sign of his two comrades ever being near; Magewhisper was tied to the tree under which they'd slept, but other than that, nothing. No bedrolls, or fires, or packs. Nothing. The entire field was empty.

The sudden loneliness helped clear Neal's grogginess. Standing up cautiously, he bundled his bedroll away and took hold of Magewhisper's reins. But he couldn't bring himself to mount up. Too many thoughts ripped through his head: where were Kel and Cleon? He was completely 100 positive that they had been right next to him when he'd fallen asleep, but they hadn't left a trace of ever being there - the grass wasn't even crushed where their bedrolls had been.

"Is this your idea of a practical joke?" he asked the air in front of him testily. He clenched his fists and spun around again, but there wasn't any movement at all. "Because it's really not very funny!" Neal waited, but no one replied. "Maybe you're playing hide and seek," he suggested, creeping to the tree trunk and jumping out from behind it. There was no one there, and no other hiding places in sight. "Nope, I guess not. Probably trying to get revenge on me for last night, huh."

Exasperated, he gave up. He'd been abandoned. Maybe his companions would get sick of revenge and return. So, with that thought, Neal sat in front of the tree trunk and leaned up against it. He wondered how stupid he must have looked after jumping out from behind the tree trunk like some five year old. _At least they weren't here to see that, I suppose._

He must have drifted into sleep after that, because the next thing he knew, his eyes were shut and he could hear something behind him. He lifted himself up as softly as possible and pressed himself up against the tree trunk, the bark grazing his skin and clothes. He could hear two people behind him, walking so softly they must have been sneaking up on him. _Holy hurroks - it must be bandits! _((1))

And without another thought, he stepped out from his hiding place and lashed out with his fist. He felt his knuckles make contact (_ow, that hurt) _and something hit the grass. He was just congratulating himself on his amazing punch when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Shit, Neal! What did you do that for?" the other bandit said.

Complete terror began to dawn on Neal as he turned to watch a large redhead sprinting over to the unconscious bandit on the grass. He looked down at the body and realised what he'd done. _OH CRAP, I'M SUCH AN IDIOT! MAJOR SCREW UP!_

"I thought you were bandits," he said loudly, some anonymous sound roaring in his ears. "I - oh, bloody hell, I swear I didn't know and I never realised it could have been - I was asleep and you disappeared and-"

"Stop babbling, asshole! You're a healer, so why don't you do some _healing_?" Cleon shouted. His entire face was ablaze with untamed anger and he tugged Neal down with so much power that Neal toppled over, scrabbling to get a look at Kel's face.

"What do you need?" Cleon asked, a little calmer, as Neal checked out the blossoming bruise around Kel's cheek - a definite black eye, and he'd probably managed to break her nose and a few teeth, too.

"Water! Cold, fresh water!" he cried hysterically, latching a glowing emerald hand onto Kel's nose and scrunching his face up in concentration.

"There's a spring in the forest! I'll be right back," Cleon said, and shot up with superhuman speed. Obviously Kel's injuries had revealed some sort of inhuman ability in Cleon, who tore through the grass and was out of sight in seconds.

Meanwhile, Neal slumped over Kel's unconscious form. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, suddenly feeling so guilty that he felt like he was being wrenched towards the ground by vengeful gravity. For a moment, he just leaned over her, taking in each precise detail of her face. His brain was whirring away, telling him things he wasn't sure he wanted to hear, ordering him to do things he didn't want to do - so he scolded his mind and then set to work healing Kel's nose and easing away the blotchy bruises across her face. Once happy that she was healed as well as he could manage, he covered her forehead with his hand and, leaning over so he was incredibly close to her face, he pulled her back into consciousness.

She opened her eyes slowly, squinting at the face in front of her. "Um... Neal?" she croaked.

"I'm really, really, reaaaally sorry, Kel, I'm such an idiot, I mean, here-" at this, he picked up her arm - "look, punch me now, or maybe you're too weak, well, that's my fault, I thought you were a bandit and I completely punched you and gods, I know I'm a retard, but seriously, I don't mind if you want to punch me later -"

Kel stopped him with a finger to his lips. "Don't worry, Neal," she said, voice breathless as if she'd been exercising hard. "I think -" She stopped short then, gazing up into his eyes. Neal couldn't pull his eyes away from hers, either - he just looked into them, and read a few emotions as he easily as he might read words from a book. He was almost certain he could see fear in her eyes, but fear for what? If anything, finally being able to read her emotions after so long having them blocked from him just made him confused. He couldn't make sense of anything. He suddenly realised his own fear that she might be able to read his emotions as he read hers, so he pulled away and commanded her not to get up, just as Cleon reappeared waving his water skin.

"I have some water!" he announced, skidding to a stop. Neal took the proffered skin and gave it to Kel, a shaking hand behind her back to hold her up as she drank. When she put down the water, Neal snatched his hand away. "Is she okay to ride?"

"Yes, Cleon, I am," Kel interrupted, and rose to her feet. She wobbled a little as she headed over to her mount with Cleon. Neal fetched Magewhisper and joined them. As he mounted up, Kel offered him an apple, explaining, "We went into the forest to hunt, but there wasn't much out there worth catching - a few mice, nothing else. You looked kind of worn out, so we left you behind. We should probably have woken you up, sleepy or not - ultimately, it's my fault you had the chance to punch me."

"But I still punched you!"

"And it was a punch to be proud of, Neal," Kel said seriously. "If you're going to perform so spectacularly when you hit your friends, maybe I should offer to be your practice dummy when we get back."

Neal stared at her; surely she wasn't suggesting she wanted to be punched some _more?_

"I can't help but wonder if I did something wrong to make you angry enough to punch me like that, although nothing really comes to mind. Well, except, I suppose I was a real prig when I was courting Dom."

Neal couldn't help it - curiosity got the better of him. "Kel... why did you and Dom split up?"

Kel turned to look at him. "Long distance relationships don't really work, you know?"

_Yuki and I have had a long distance relationship for months, _Neal thought. _But then again, I can't really say it's working out very well. _"But there must have been something else. Knights will never see their lovers very much, so it's practically always long distance. Does Dom like someone else?"

Kel looked down at Hoshi's mane. "No. Not at all."

_Do _you _like someone else? _he wanted to ask, but didn't.

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Quite surprisingly, it was a little chilly outside, but Neal had found his cabin too claustrophobic so he'd gone up to the deck. He stood at the head of the boat, thoughts as deep as the ocean they were sailing over. Lazy, unmoving clouds were painted across the sky. The moon was a thin crescent, shining clearly from the corner of the murky sky. He suspected that it would be gone the next night, a new moon, where the milky white satellite couldn't be seen at all. That in itself made the scene seem more precious - as if in old age, the moon was about to die, and be born again. There weren't many stars out, and the ones that were had been smothered by smoky clouds. A few birds danced across the sky.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he said, seemingly to no one.

Kel drifted out the shadows. "I'm surprised you saw me, Neal. If memory serves me, you were always oblivious to most people as a page. Much more absorbed in your books and your thirsty quest for knowledge."

Neal ignored that. "And what are you doing up here on this lovely night?"

"I don't know. I think I came to calm you down; I thought you might be excited about seeing Yuki." As she spoke, she moved over beside him and looked up at the sky.

"Well, I'm quite calm already."

"So you're not excited about seeing her?" Kel said. Her voice was oddly devoid of emotion, something it hadn't been since they'd left Corus.

"You want the truth, Kel?" he asked, too world-weary to bother lying. "No, I'm not. I've hardly missed her at all."

Kel looked surprised, and watched him for several minutes. When he didn't say anything else, she left.

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_Additional Notes  
_

_((1)) Isn't that a cool saying? Heh... this note was pointless..._

_About Kel and Dom and the implied... night time activities: I am actually positive that Kel would not sleep with Dom at this stage in the story, as they can't have been courting for more than a couple of weeks (she's not the kind of person to rush into things, especially as she's a virgin). So, I apologise sincerely. I added that part at the last minute, craving some humour, and now I see they're hideously out of character. However, because it's been a week (or is it more?) since I last updated, I don't want to delay this any longer by re-writing said section. I may, however, go back when this story is finished and change/re-write that part._

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you all very much for the reviews. I am guilty of taking ages to update and being behind on writing - I've been surprisingly preoccupied, though this is NOT because of my new drabbles series. I had a lot of difficulty writing Chapter 6, but I have finally finished it and have begun chapter 7. I will update when Chapter 7 is done, and no earlier, just to ensure I won't be tempted to go on hiatus or anything.**

**My first week of summer holidays has been wonderful. I'm dying because I want KH2 and it isn't out here until autumn, and I also have to go on holiday in a few weeks - an entire seven days of riding manic rollercoasters. I am NOT happy... I get really queasy on theme park rides, and so far that's all we have planned for the entire week. So that's a warning that somewhen in the near future one of the chapters will be a week late. Sorry.**

**Again, thank you all very much for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate comments, questions and suggestions, and will look forward to feedback for this chapter. You are all fantastical people and I shall immediately continue writing so the next update will be speedy!**


	6. SIX

**--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS---****-----------------**  
**Chapter 6**

"I can't tell you how scared I am of all this Yamani stuff," Neal whispered to Cleon, trying not to move his lips too much. They were following Kel out onto the deck of the ship. Nerves made him feel queasy as his eyes drifted over the meeting party waiting at the harbour.

"Just copy Kel," Cleon advised.

"Will that work?" Neal whispered back, eyes flickering about like stray bugs. "I don't suppose you remember any of the bows we learnt as pages, do you?"

Cleon glanced at his emerald-eyed friend fleetingly. "No. You?"

"Not at all."

Knowing they were doomed to humiliation, Neal and Cleon descended the plank onto solid land. Ten people stood waiting for them, clad in brightly coloured kimonos and delicate silk breeches and shirts. Neal fought the urge to stare, despite having seen many of Yuki's kimonos when she'd been in Tortall. They were all works of art, so delicately embroidered and dyed in a way that could make anyone look beautiful (although he noted that all the women who waited to greet them were beautiful anyway.)

A herald announced Kel's name in a heavy accent, and she headed over to bow to each Yamani and exchange a few words. She stopped to speak with one man for longer than the others; he stood out like a sore thumb with vivid blonde hair and ruddy, tanned skin. Just looking at his hair among so many dark-haired people made Neal's eyes hurt.

Cleon's name was announced next, and he did the same as Kel, passing along the row with solemn formality. It seemed he was trying to stifle his emotion so heavily that his face was rapidly taking on the appearance of a beetroot. He sagged with relief when he reached the end of the row.

"Sir Nealan of Queenscove, Knight of Tortall."

Hearing his name made him jump. _I'm not ready! I can't remember how to bow - oh, why didn't I watch more closely? Mithros, get me through this and I will love you forever! _And with that, he stumbled over to the first woman and bowed as well as he could remember. Surprise overtook him as it all clicked, and he silently thanked his etiquette teacher, Master Oakbridge, for drilling the Yamani etiquette into him so well (most teachers had found it was impossible to get through the five inch thick layer of laziness that encased Neal's brain.) The Yamani lady introduced herself and muttered something about it being an honour to meet him. It was much the same all the way down the rest of the row - blank faces, formal speech, mechanical bows. Although he knew the Yamanis weren't robots (Yuki had definitely shown him that...-wink wink-), they did seem _very _stiff.

He reached the blonde man and eyed him warily.

"You're Nealan, aren't you? I'm Kai." The man grinned so widely that Neal could see he possessed pointed, wolfish canine teeth. Obviously he wasn't Yamani, but he was dressed like all the others. "We can talk later, I hope."

Neal nodded silently and joined Cleon and Kel. A princess made a long, crackling speech about welcomes and balls or something. Neal wasn't really listening, focusing on staring at the blonde man called Kai, having this eerie feeling that Kel knew him quite well. He looked suspiciously Scanran. Neal didn't trust him whatsoever.

After the speech, Kai and two Yamani women approached and announced themselves as 'guides' for the three foreign knights. Kai latched onto Kel's arm like a blood-sucking leech. Neal reluctantly offered his own arm to a young Yamani woman whose expression was so empty and blank that he half expected her face to fall off like one of the masks that dancers wore in festivals back in Corus.

They were to ride to the emperor's palace in horse-drawn carriages, the prospect of which made Neal feel ill. He assumed that each Tortallan would travel in a different carriage. Sure, Kel would be happy and perfectly at home (_with that damn Kai) _but what about him and Cleon? They'd be left to the emotionless wrath of the Yamanis!

The ride seemed endless. He tried asking how long the ride was, even though the men and women he shared his carriage with would probably think him rude, but they didn't even understand. He'd never learnt even a bare "hello" in Yamani, and even if he did, that would hardly be the basis of asking a question. It suddenly hit him how incredibly different the Isles were.

Needless to say, he was overjoyed to see the palace come into sight. He'd also seen some interesting landscapes over the ride - and recalled the names of several books he wanted to read from the emperor's library. He didn't suppose they'd be in the capital for very long, probably not past a day, but he wanted to read as much as he could in the little spare time he would have.

His gloomy escort showed him where his room was and recommended that he unpacked a set of clothes for the ball that evening. Meanwhile, she said, he had plenty of time to relax or go to get some food. He processed this slowly, mind lingering on the idea of a ball, while she stood and waited for him to thank her and bid her goodbye. Coming to his senses, he did just that, and headed into his room.

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Kel was standing with a kimono over one arm and a Tortallan gown over the other when Neal strolled past her open door. She didn't give any sign of noticing him. Deciding he didn't want to get lost (his guide hadn't explained _where_ he might findsome food), he settled in the doorway and watched her. It seemed she was trying to choose which one to wear, which surprised him. Normally she didn't really care, and would generally go for comfort over fashion; but admittedly, Neal had never worn a kimono, so he didn't have a clue how comfortable they were. He imagined it might be a little tedious to put them on, especially with the three layer kimonos.

"What do you want, Neal?"

Neal looked up, surprised. "What do I want? Who says I want something?"

"I do," Kel replied curtly. She began to fold the Tortallan gown, draping the kimono over her bed. "You wouldn't be hovering around my doorway otherwise."

"Maybe I just wanted to watch you," he reasoned. For a moment he considered entering her room, but decided against it.

Kel raised her eyebrows - suddenly she looked remarkably like a Queenscove. "I doubt that. Out with it, Nealan."

_Maybe there _is_ something I want._

Neal paused, looking indecisive.

"Come on, Queenscove. We haven't got all day."

_But would it be something I ought to have?_

Neal couldn't think straight.

_Might as well find out._

"Kel..."

She scowled at him impatiently.

"Kel, will you go to the ball with me?"

She was silent for several long moments. Neal's nerves were a mess of knots and tangles as she looked at him oddly, eyes fixated on his as if trying to read him.

"Shouldn't you be going with Yuki?" she said finally.

"Probably."

It seemed he wasn't about to cave in any time soon. "I don't know, Neal."

"You're going with that Kai person, aren't you?" he said accusingly.

Her face was just surprised. "No. No, I'm not."

"Then why won't you go with me?" he demanded, suddenly feeling a multitude of emotions racing through his veins.

She didn't look at him at first, gazing around her room instead. Glazed eyes told Neal that she was stewing up an answer. "It wouldn't be right."

"Kel, I know what you're thinking. Honestly, I know that I ought to go with Yuki, and people might think bad if I don't. But maybe I want to go with my friend for once! It's not wrong. It's right to me. Just don't worry about anyone else; that's all you've done ever since you were little. You're allowed to think what you like. If you think it's right, then it will be. Maybe some people are gonna think it's wrong. But don't think about them, Kel, stop thinking about others, and be _selfish_ for once. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong and you just don't want to go to the ball with me... but I'd like to check in case you're acting on your bare instinct instead of your heart."

Kel made a decision then, and turned her back to him.

In silent acceptance, Neal began to walk away from her room. It was a bit like a blow to his chest, this rejection, that left him breathless and pained at the same time. He was fleeing. Escaping, just because he felt wounded and had known that that moment, standing in her doorway, might have been a climax. Or a release. He wasn't sure, but it felt like something was building up, and some when, he'd have to take the lid off and let it all out.

There was an interruption in the before unmarred sound of his thumping footsteps.

"Wait, Neal."

Breath caught in his throat; he tried to shove back the hope that was already building up in his lungs.

"Okay. I'll go."

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Neal surprised himself completely. Watching Yuki and another Yamani man entering the ball room through the grand oriental doors caused him no jealousy whatsoever. He'd expected at least a little spark of emotion, even after all these months apart; but no, nothing. That scared him. He had believed himself to have been so in love with Yuki, enough to endure a continuously lengthened engagement, but what had happened? Had it all faded, or had he never even loved her that much to start with?

"You look like you're regretting this entirely," someone remarked dryly.

Neal turned to his friend, who was currently hanging onto his arm, and replied, "So do you."

"It's fine as long as you don't make me dance."

Neal's eyebrows furrowed. "You _have_ to dance, Kel. This is a ball. Dancing is the entire point!"

"Other than flirting, you mean."

"I think the correct term is shmoozing," Neal said. Kel could see his attention was beginning to drift - he wasn't looking at her anymore, instead gazing at the ceiling, though there wasn't anything up there worth gazing at.

"Whatever it's called, I'm never going to do it, and I'm definitely not dancing. I'd rather kiss a pig. Besides, we're probably going tomorrow. I need to save my energy."

"Am I to take this as an excuse, Mindelan? Are you telling me you do not wish to dance with my most wondrous self? Why, of all the outlandish, unladylike actions you may have chosen to play out, you had to choose this one. You are disgracing our noble country of Tortall! Dancing and shmoozing are your duties as a knight of Tortall!"

Kel glared at him.

"Is that a glare of acceptance? It certainly looked like it, Mindelan! Okay, Protector, off to the dance floor!" Before she could protest, he grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the other dancing couples. She glared daggers at him for an entire minute until he reprimanded her for dancing out of time. After that, she began to settle into the dancing idea, and was seriously considering dancing with him again after the song ended when someone appeared behind Neal.

"Excuse me, Nealan -"

"It's Neal," he corrected.

"Oh. Well, Neal, do you mind if I steal your partner for a dance or two?"

Neal bowed as mockingly as he could, not looking at the ruddy Scanran man that he was already beginning to hate. "Most certainly. Kel, I'll be over there somewhere when you're done."

Kai's eyes followed the green-eyed healer as he wondered away from them. "What did I say?" he asked roughly in Common, standing by her side.

"Don't ask me," she replied. "He's been acting up a bit lately."

"Probably being in a foreign country, eh? Do you feel it too? You've been in Tortall for more than ten years straight. A long time, isn't it?" Kai moved in front of her, prompting her to move into the correct position and start dancing.

"You've been here the whole time?" she asked curiously. She knew he was Scanran, but she'd only known him for about six months before her family had left for Tortall, and wouldn't have known him at all if he hadn't been foreign like her. The only reason they were such good friends was because she had been able to relate to him about being from a different country, and he was only two years older than her. ((1))

"Yes. It's been long and boring, to be honest - I feel more like a foreigner with every day that passes. I might come over to Tortall one day - meet the rest of your family, your friends - find out more about your future husband, maybe."

She looked at him oddly. "I don't plan on getting married any time soon, Kai."

"What, not even to that Neal person?"

There weren't really any words to express her surprise. She spluttered for a few moments before managing to choke out, "What do you mean, 'not even to that Neal person'?"

One of his blonde eyebrows was arched as he replied, "I always see you with him, and you came to the ball with him too."

"He's my best friend. Not anything else. _And _he's engaged to Yukimi noh Daiomoru."

He didn't reply for a moment, looking across the room. Kel suspected he was looking for Neal.

"Why did he go with you, then?" he enquired.

Kel tried to shrug unsuccessfully - it was near impossible to do when dancing. "I almost said no."

Kai's eyes were clouded with thoughtfulness. "I think you've caused a small scandal - you won't hear it, but you know these Yamanis, they'll be whispering about it over their green tea. See, look - I think Yukimi is going to talk to your friend now. Do you want to stop dancing?"

"If you don't mind," she replied gratefully. She hadn't worn Yamani sandals for a long time and they were very uncomfortable compared to the boots she normally wore when out and about. After collecting a drink, Kel separated from Kai and hid in the crowd, discreetly eavesdropping as Yuki began to speak. However, a sudden roar in conversation caused her to miss what was said, though she could get a clear idea that it was something furious because Yuki stalked off moments later. Before she could see whether Neal would follow, she found Cleon in front of her, wearing a vivid blue tunic that clashed with his hair.

They exchanged a few words, and Cleon told how he'd come to the ball with his escort from earlier, though had lost her in a crowd. When Kel mentioned she was starting to get tired, Cleon offered to take her back to her rooms. Kel politely declined, thinking, _I don't need escorting! I'm not some delicate court lady and I know my way around this palace much better than you ever will, _and then left by herself.

Walking down the empty corridors, Kel contemplated her future. After she returned to Tortall, what would become of her? She assumed she'd be sent out to deal with various problems such as immortals or bandits, but since the war with Scanra, the bandit season had been draining away and immortals were becoming rarer. She didn't mind that too much - but more than anything, she didn't want to get stuck at the palace. With Neal. He completely confused her, one moment nervous, shy, unsure - the next acting like his normal self, as if nothing had happened. Being himself was supposedly a good thing - but it irritated Kel more than ever, because he kept ignoring all these odd moments they kept sharing when she wanted him to acknowledge them so they could sort things out. Maybe he couldn't because he was just as confused as she was.

A loud thump startled her out of her thoughts. _The walls can't be very thick here, _she thought. _I wonder whose room I'm outside of?_

"I don't know what you were thinking, Neal -"

"I'm allowed to go to the ball with who I want!"

"So you can just discard your fiancée? Sometimes you make me wonder if you even care about me anymore!"

"I just want some _space_! Do you expect me to act like everything's normal when I haven't seen you in months?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Well, obviously -"

Kel couldn't stand to hear any more. Feeling salty tears prickling at her eyes, she fled down the dimly lit hall, crashing into the walls more than once as misery made her sight blur. She couldn't even unlock her door, and had to fumble with a key for several moments before jamming it into the lock and turning it so violently it might have snapped. Slipping into her room, she pushed the door shut and leaned back against it firmly as if trying to make a barrier between her and the cause of her flood of emotion. That done, she dropped the key with a clatter and slid down to the floor. _They're arguing because of me. I'm ruining their relationship, I've caused a scandal... and I _knew _saying yes was wrong._

Hot, salty tears began to thunder down her cheeks.

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Cleon paced the floor outside Kel's room for what felt like the millionth time. Knocking several times had already proved unsuccessful, and now he considered trying the door to see if it was locked, though he didn't want to barge into her room anymore than he wanted to barge into the ladies' baths. _It is important, _he reasoned with himself. _She'd hate me if I didn't tell her about the meeting and she missed it. I don't understand why she isn't answering. She left the ball at the same time I did, and I got up at dawn just like normal. Maybe I should go in - she might be ill. _

He turned the door handle quietly and pushed one, large booted foot into her room. Through the small opening between her door and the wall, he could see her bed. It was empty.

"Kel?" he called, sticking his head into her room. More to himself, he said, "You can't have gone already. My room is right next to this one - I would have heard." Then he saw what looked like a lump of clothing on the floor, a blood red kimono draped over the top, and he trudged over to it. _What in Mithros' name -_

"Kel?" he asked nervously. "Kel, why are you lying on the floor?"

There was no reply.

"Has something happened? You're still wearing your kimono..." Cleon knelt down and pushed back some of her hair so he could see her face. He had to hold in a shocked breath - her face was blotchy and red, eyes squeezed shut tightly. Steady breathing told her redhead friend that she was asleep.

"Should I wake you up?" he murmured, cocking his head like an inquisitive dog. Then he remembered why he had originally come, and realised he _had_ to wake her. He reached for her arm and shook her gently. She bolted up like a frightened hare.

Seeing him, she flinched and looked away, rubbing a palm across her still damp face.

"Kel, is there a reason why you look like you've been crying? Did something happen last night?"

Kel mumbled something about Neal that he couldn't quite catch and asked him to wait outside while she changed.

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The door squeaked open again. Neal's ears were beginning to ache from the constant wailing of hinges. Two tall figures entered the room and were observed by his sleepy eyes. After rowing with his Yamani fiancée, he and Yuki had both gone to bed, but he had not gone to _sleep. _It would not come. He lay there all night, and only found sleep drawing close an hour before dawn, but he pushed it away. Having seen the side that Yuki had revealed last night, he did not want to be around when she woke up. He got up, dressing hastily, and left to wander the halls. He got to the meeting fifteen minutes early, and had sat alone for two thirds of that time until Yamanis began to filter in through the squeaky door.

Now, finally, people he knew had arrived. Kel didn't even glance at him, and strolled to the far end of the room. Cleon, however, immediately made a beeline for him, and sat at his side.

"You need to talk to Kel," he said, voice urgent.

Confused, Neal's eyebrows furrowed and he glanced in Kel's direction. "What? Why?"

"I think something happened last night - she's still really upset."

"Oh." Neal bit his lip and stopped himself from glancing at the said lady knight again. "Me and Yuki were arguing because I went to the ball with Kel. She might have overheard..."

"Ah."

Neal rose and trudged over to Kel. She sat slumped over the table with her head in her arms. When he tapped her on the shoulder, she looked up.

He suppressed a sharp intake of breath - her eyes were quite bloodshot, but more than that - the normal dreaminess was shadowed and murky.

"You overheard, didn't you?" he said.

"I'm sorry," she said numbly, standing.

"I can tell you're blaming yourself. It's not your fault at all." At the time, easing his arms around her body and embracing her tightly seemed completely natural; later, he would ponder it, and contemplate his emotions.

The embrace seemed to seal anything that might have gotten between their friendship - they sat down, and the meeting started.

Neal fell asleep five minutes after it began, and missed the entire thing. Kel only saw fit to wake him once it was over. Disorientated, he looked up at her with blurry eyes and realised what was going on. "Wha...? Ack! I slept through the entire thing!"

She shook her head sympathetically, patting his shoulder at the same time. "Don't worry, Neal."

"But - what, where are we going?"

"Southern coast," she told him, pulling him up from his seat. "Just fighting raiders - it'll be easy."

She dragged him out the room by his tunic.

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_Additional notes_

_((1)) First, I apologise for putting an original character in. Honestly, I don't like them much, but they're easy to write and more convenient. I'm going to say that his parents were Scanran (giving him blonde hair, etc) but that they moved to the Yamani Isles and gave him a Yamani name. For the purposes of this fic (I write about this a lot in the next chapter) I have given any Yamani characters Japanese names, as I'm sure you've noticed similarities between Japan and the Isles. Japan is a fascination of mine, so I probably noticed a few more than most people._

_((2)) Honestly, is Kel EVER ill? Apart from physical injuries, of course, it seems like no one fell ill much in the books, and surely back in those times pathogens were more common?_

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hmm. Sorry, I planned to update sooner. I've been very behind in writing. Sorry muchly.**

**So, anyway, my poor "masterpiece" seems to be lacking in many areas (-cough-). I have a few avid readers, though, so I'm happy. Came up with a really odd idea for a new fanfiction which requires deep thought (and shockingly, might NOT be a KelNeal...!), and my drabble series Euphoria trudges on (although I didn't update today, I'm going to post two drabbles tomorrow to make up for it... sorry). This chapter was short, and I'm sorry... I hope to be getting to some sort of decent romance in the near future. And the plot needs a thorough poking because it's going to require a lot of work.**

**Well, I'm happy writing, anyway. So no hiatus anytime soon and hopefully an update before next Friday, or this story will carry on forever (and it's dragging on a little bit... the romance, I mean). Hope you liked this chapter; all reviews are officially cookie-worthy, readers are much-loved, and feedback/contributions appreciated muchly. See you soon.**


	7. SEVEN

**--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS---****-----------------**  
**Chapter 7**

The three knights had been in the south for five days so far, and had encountered thirty Copper Islanders altogether. All of these thirty had been cut down with the help of the ten man Yamani squad they were grouped with. The commander of the squad, Jinsei ((1)), was a strong man in his early thirties who knew no Common at all. Kel often had to translate for her two knight friends. Cleon enjoyed abusing her bilingual abilities and asked her to give the Yamani name of everything he pointed at. Eventually, after naming at least forty objects, Kel told him to stop because he was making a spectacle of himself, jabbing his finger around the area as if expecting what he pointed at to burst into flames. Turning, Cleon saw several of the Yamani men laughing at him. He blushed and stopped pestering her.

On that day, their group was camped at the edge of a forest near a group of cliffs. Local men from the nearby town acted as scouts, conveniently positioned at the edges of fields, in the forest or up near the cliff, and would send warning of Copper Islanders when they were spotted via ingenious magical pendants that gave off heat and light when someone was raising the alert. They glowed a different colour for each scout so the pendant's owner knew who was contacting them.

In the past few days, they'd built a routine – they would wake at dawn, eat, and then pass time until they received an alert. Upon receiving one, their group would rush off to the scout and then onto the raiders. Generally raider groups numbered no more than ten, and when there were more, another group nearby was called in. Kel, Cleon and Neal saw Merric and Seaver once when a group of seventeen raiders had been too many and another group came to help out, but otherwise, they did not see any other Tortallans. They had little contact with the Emperor, and Kel thought Neal and Cleon must feel even more isolated due to the language barrier.

At that moment, Neal was sat on the grass using a tree trunk as support for his back, and Cleon was sprawled out at his feet. They were talking idly about anything that came to mind.

"I bet there'll be eleven raiders on next call," Neal said, throwing an apple in the air and letting it thunk back into his palm.

"No, definitely fourteen," Cleon countered.

"Eleven."

"Why eleven?"

Neal sat up slightly. "Ten is too few. Twelve is too many."

"I don't think you can have too many."

"Sure you can. They have to be able to fit onto a boat. They can't walk on water, and they can't take a massive boat either."

Cleon rolled onto his side to look at Neal, propping his head up on an arm. "But shouldn't they search boats to see if there are raiders on them?"

"They could, but raiders are sneaky. And besides, do you know how hard fighting on a boat is?"

"Why, have you done it?" Cleon asked.

Neal frowned. "No."

Cleon snickered to himself.

"But I bet it would be really cramped!"

"Well, in any case, searching boats would certainly save us a lot of trouble. Then we wouldn't have to be hanging around here in this boiling weather for days on end."

"Anything you _specifically _don't like? Say... sunburn, maybe?" Neal smirked at his redhead friend.

"Oh, shut up," Cleon replied, glaring. "It's not my fault my skin burns more than tans."

Cleon had managed to acquire a sunburn every day so far. Despite his efforts to stay in the shade and slather himself in lotions, at the end of the day, Cleon was always lobster-red and irritable. The lotions that were supposed to prevent sunburn didn't seem quite strong enough for Cleon's skin, and Neal's efforts to strengthen them didn't seem to be helping.

"Kel, we're bored!"

"Can't you see I'm busy?" she replied, poring over a map with Jinsei. She'd been staring at it for so long that she saw it on the back of her eyelids when she blinked.

"What do they want?" asked Jinsei in Yamani. Kel just shrugged.

"Attention, probably. They're bored. We haven't seen much battle."

"Surely that's a good thing," he replied.

"Not for those two. They're too energetic - maybe we should give them less food."

The edges of Jinsei's mouth curled upwards in a subtle, wolfish grin. "That can be arranged."

Kel felt her pendant begin to warm, and traded a glance with Jinsei, who also fingered his pendant. "Alert!" she called in Yamani, and checked the colour of the crystal. "It's Kenichi - in the west."

"Mount up, boys," Jinsei ordered, packing the map away in his saddlebags. Kel walked over to Neal and Cleon and kicked their sides gently.

"Get up! We have a call," she told them sternly. They got up, bouncing around like five year olds about to visit a sweet shop, and went to fetch their horses. Neal had a gelding named Peony, Kel's mare was named Miya (which meant beautiful evening/night in Yamani) and Cleon's gelding was called Taro (big boy) ((2)). The ride through the forest would be short but speedy, and they left their horses saddled up so they could mount as soon as they received a call.

They arrived on the scene, a small clearing in the midst of the trees, and charged into a group of seven raiders. Neal always found it difficult to concentrate in battle; he couldn't help but stand in awe of the Yamani warriors, who were so precise and accomplished in their techniques and at the same time, visually stunning. He would often gape until one of his allies poked him in the stomach and knocked him out of his awe.

Turning, he saw Cleon beside him. "This should be easy," he commented.

"Probably," Cleon replied, eye on a Copper Islander. "Almost makes you wish there were more of them, doesn't it?" He didn't wait for an answer and jogged away, sword clashing with the crude weapon of a raider. Neal looked around, searching for more raiders or archers in the surrounding area. A bush shook a few metres to his right; he turned to stare.

Accompanied by war cries, a group of rugged men burst out into the clearing in front of him. Neal leapt out of the way and tried to count them - at least eighteen! He located Kel and pounded her on the back. "Kel, eighteen raiders just appeared from nowhere! We don't have enough men!"

She turned sharply and stared at him. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Afraid not," he replied. "What are we gonna do?"

"Pull back," she told him shortly, and then turned away. She roared something in Yamani. Their squad began to flood back into the cover of the forest, horses snorting loudly as they were urged on, and the raiders attempted to follow. Kel staved one off with her sword and gutted him. Adrenalin pounding, she backed up and took hold of her pendant. Squeezing it tightly and muttering the required words would alert any nearby squads that they needed help. "Archers!"

At her call, men at the back shoved their swords away and pulled out bows and quivers of arrows. Some stood in the saddle or dismounted and clambered onto nearby rocks or trees. This, however, meant that horses were left with no rider, and there were fewer swords to fight the Copper Islanders that fought on foot.

Jinsei gave orders to retreat and fall to defence. Eventually they backed up to a waist-deep river, and used this to separate them from the raiders until another squad arrived. Arrows finished the last of the Copper Islanders off while Neal tended to wounded with the help of another mage. After the dead were buried in crude, shallow graves, they gathered firewood and built a small fire where they cooked stew in a large pot. As darkness began to fall, a messenger bird drifted down from the light breeze and presented its note to Jinsei. He read it solemnly.

After everyone had eaten, he stood and read the letter's contents to the two squads. "Our spies have reported several battleships being prepared in harbours on one of the Isles, and the numbers of raiders landing on our coast has increased dramatically. We will be taking action against these further threats, but otherwise, all plans remain the same..." His eyes flickered as he skipped the rest of the note. "Can someone fetch paper? I wish to send a reply."

Once he'd scrawled a note and sent it by bird, Jinsei told Kel to get Neal and Cleon and come to speak with him. They assembled beneath a large fir tree out of the hearing range of the squad. "You're not staying with us much longer," Jinsei told her in Yamani. Neal and Cleon sat fidgeting, waiting for Kel to translate.

"Where are we going, then?" she asked him.

"Into the Copper Isles. The Emperor wants more people over there - it's likely he'll want you to sort out the person behind these raiders. Apparently he's a rebel, hiding on one of the less-populated islands… he's rumoured to be half-mad, which explains this hostility towards us for no reason. You'll be there to protect a couple of our spies and carry out anything they can't."

Confusion leaked onto Kel's face. "What? But we're knights. The spies are better suited to that kind of thing. They have proper training and they can assassinate people if need be -"

"Those are your orders, Lady Knight," he told her firmly, and waved a hand at Neal and Cleon. "Tell your friends and start packing. There will be a boat waiting for you at the south tomorrow with a spy, who will lead you to where you need to go."

She stared at him as he left, trying to work out the logic in the orders; she found none. Cleon began to pester her, asking what Jinsei had wanted.

"New orders," she said emotionlessly, beginning to stand. "We're going into the Copper Isles."

They both looked as perplexed as she was.

"Get all your things together in your packs. Tomorrow we need to catch a boat."

Neal stared at her. "Kel, you do realise we can't speak Kyprish?"

"Yes, I think I did realize that _somewhere _along the lines..." she said, eyebrows raised.

"We'll get killed! You can't just walk around talking Common without signing your own death warrant! Why don'tcha just give us big signs to stick on our foreheads that say, 'Foreigners on secret mission to kill Copper Island madman! Please stab this person in as many places as possible!'"

She sighed, obviously having had enough of his sarcasm. "Okay, Cleon, I will."

"The only problem is that no one would be able to understand it because Kel wouldn't know how to write it in Kyprish!" Neal told the redhead, poking Cleon's forehead with a somewhat manic grin. "Anyway, come on, we need to get everything together and get our bedrolls out."

Kel fell asleep slowly, anxiety about the upcoming mission keeping her from dreaming.

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"Maybe _that's _him."

"No, Cleon, I don't think it is."

Cleon had pointed to a withered old fisherman sitting on some empty crates by the pier, and Kel highly doubted that someone who looked about 80 years old would be leading them through the Copper Isles. So far on their wild spy-hunt Cleon had pointed out seven weather-worn old men and Kel had yet to see a young man anywhere. She wondered how they would find their spy guide.

"Looking for something?" a clear voice asked in Yamani. The woman who appeared at Kel's side had her dark auburn hair, streaked with red, tied back in a messy ponytail. She looked to be in her twenties.

"Well, kind of," Kel admitted. Neal and Cleon gawked.

"Oh, Tortallans," she said, switching seamlessly to Common without a trace of an accent. "I can help you out. Come this way."

A little disoriented, Kel and her two knight friends followed her. The lady knight had a suspicion that this woman was there to lead them to their guide. The woman took several turns through alleyways and narrow streets until they reached a small jetty where a fairly large fishing boat bobbed in the water. It took her one nimble hop to get onto the deck and then she turned and gestured for them to follow. Climbing down a tiny, creaking ladder, she pointed to the end door and squeezed against the wooden wall to allow them to pass. Then she was gone, leaving them to stare at each other in a daze for several moments before shrugging and opening the door.

Clustered in the little room were three _extremely _rugged men who all looked up incriminatingly as Kel stood in the doorway, Neal and Cleon stuck single-file behind her in the narrow hallway. The most grizzly looking man of the three gripped the little table they were sat around so hard Kel thought she heard a crack, and he barked, "Who're _you?" _in such a harsh tone that Kel almost fell over backwards trying to back out and find the woman from earlier.

She attempted to smile politely. "Well, uh, we're, um... are you...? We're looking for, uh, well, a spy?"

"Looking for a _spy, _are you? Well, why don't ye look for a spy somewhere other than my _boat?" _He spat the last word out ferociously.

"Uh, yes, well, we'll be going now..."

Neal and Cleon shuffled backwards as Kel did and, guessing enough from the man's tone, they realised Kel was making her escape and let her squeeze past them to reach the ladder and get back onto the deck. There they found the woman from earlier, expertly adjusting a bundle of ropes near the mast. Around them, a gentle whistling breeze caught in the sail and sent it billowing over their heads. Turning, Kel saw they were already several boat lengths from the jetty where the boat had been moored not long ago. They were in the sea. Sailing.

"Um, excuse me? I think you've made a mistake. I thought you were... well, we're on a -"

"...boat. Going to the Copper Isles."

There was a brief silence.

"What, _you'_re our spy guide?"

"And you're a _woman?!" _Neal coughed out. Kel glared at him, despite the fact that she'd also made the assumption their guide would be male.

"Expecting a man, were you? Well, yes, I'll be helping you out. "Guide" is probably overdoing it a bit... anyway, sorry about earlier. I couldn't just announce I was a spy going to the Copper Isles in the middle of the street. I wanted you to meet the crew - did you introduce yourself to them?"

The three knights exchanged looks. "Uh..."

The spy grinned knowingly. "Ah, don't mind them. I'll introduce you later. We'll be having lunch soon - I'll knock on your door when it's ready and I'll explain a few things over the food. Do you want me to show you where you're sleeping?"

"Can we know your name first?" Neal asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"It's Ren," she said, bowing like a Yamani. "I'm Tortallan, really. What are your names? Maybe I've heard of you."

"Perhaps. I'm Keladry of Mindelan."

A look of realisation crossed Ren's face. "Oh - you're the Lady Knight..."

_Yes, that's me... _Kel thought idly. _The only Lady Knight... the Lioness doesn't count, does she? Seeing as she was still masquerading as a male when she was knighted..._

She realised Ren was speaking. "...dresses most of the time. It would probably be better, but understandably, breeches and a shirt at times... hmmm. Well, I can think about this later. Who are these two?"

Cleon was the first to speak up. "I'm Cleon of Kennan."

Ren turned to Neal expectantly. "Uh, Neal of Queenscove. Pleased to meet you."

"Ok," she said, still looking thoughtful. "Keladry, Cleon, Neal... why don't you go and find your cabin? It's the door on the right." She correctly interpreted Kel's open mouth and said, "I'm ever so sorry, but you'll have to share. Space is a bit limited around here, but hopefully with spelled winds it won't take too long to reach the Isles so we won't have to put up with cramped conditions for long. Why don't you go on down and put away your packs? Make yourselves comfy. Lunch won't be long - I'll knock on your door when it's ready."

"Ok. Thanks," Kel said, still trying to decide whether she liked the woman's straight-forward approach to things, and eventually deciding that she would be very polite until she got to know Ren better.

The crew of knights trailed below deck. Neal took the lead and shoved the door open, and they filed in to the little room. It was as small as Kel had feared it would be. After a few moments of rummaging, they discovered three hammocks folded up in a little chest by the back wall, and there was just enough room to sling them up and leave their packs below on the floor. Cleon clambered into his hammock immediately and, to all appearances, went to sleep. Neal and Kel similarly hopped into their 'beds', although Kel was wide awake and ended up gazing at the wooden ceiling, tracing the grain of the wood with her eyes as she mused over the adventures ahead.

It seemed Neal was not tired either, as he broke the comfortable silence. "Are you excited?"

She looked over at him slowly, stretched out in his hammock like a content cat by a fire. "About what?"

"This big mission. Going to the Copper Isles."

She chose to reply seriously. "Can anyone be excited about risking their life in a foreign country?"

"You did just that in Scanra. And I get a sneaking suspicion that you _rather _enjoyed it," he replied, grinning.

Kel smiled at the ceiling. "Heh. You know me too well."

"That's what more than a decade of friendship does."

"Gods... has it really been that long?"

He smiled broadly at her. "Yup!"

"I've lost track of time, really... it feels like a lifetime," she said. "Being friends with you is like looking after the most difficult, spoilt child ever known to man!"

Neal's grin morphed into a scowl. "I resent that!"

Someone cleared their throat. "Uh... lunch is ready. I knocked, but I don't think you heard."

"Sorry," Kel apologised quickly. "Wake Cleon, will you, Neal?"

"I'm onto it, Protector!"

Kel shook her head at her friend's perkiness and followed Ren out the door.

Over lunch, Ren introduced them to the crew members who were eating with them. The third crew member was on deck handling the boat and navigation. The man who had scared Kel half to death was the captain of the boat, Michael. The youngest member of the crew was a not-so-young 40 years old, a retired sea mage who could work the winds. His name was Shinjo. Neither Ren, Michael or Shinjo saw fit to tell them the name of the man up on deck, but from observing, they learned that everyone called him Eel. Whether this was his real name or not, they didn't find out.

The first day on the boat was a blur. Kel hardly remembered anything she did. She remembered eating and then feeling her eyes getting heavy, and telling the others she was going to bed. They left her alone in the cabin for a while so she could change into a nightgown, and by the time Neal and Cleon arrived to go to bed, Kel had snuffed out the dim lantern used to light their room, and they bumbled around in the dark until they swung themselves up into their hammocks. Everything went dark as sleep beckoned.

Suddenly, Kel jolted awake. A growing uneasiness in her stomach made itself known to her brain, and no matter how much she shifted around or how many times she willed her mind blank, her swirling stomach kept her awake. Eventually she got fed up of tossing and turning and flipped her legs over the edge of the hammock, falling to the floor with a little thud, and crept out the room and up the ladder to the deck. The faint figure of Eel shuffled around the front of the boat; she headed for the stern to avoid disturbing him, and spent a while gazing at the stars. She could still recognise the queasiness in her stomach, but somehow being up on the deck, breathing the slightly moist, salty air, quelled it a little. _Must be sea-sickness, _she thought resignedly.

She must have been out there for at least ten minutes when she heard someone approaching. Her first thoughts were that it was Eel, but this was completely dismissed when the person's hand found her shoulder.

"Neal?" she whispered softly.

"Hey," he greeted.

She glanced at him curiously. "What are you doing up here?"

"I was about to ask the same of you."

"Well, I asked first."

"I dunno. I couldn't sleep and then I saw your hammock was empty. Thought I'd come and find you. You?"

"Same - couldn't sleep."

He looked concerned, and asked, "Why not?"

"I was about to ask the same of you," she said.

He grinned. "I asked first!"

"I think I'm seasick," she admitted, slightly embarrassed. "It's a bit better up here."

"You should have told me! I am a healer, Kel. Seasickness is quite easy to heal."

She blinked. "Oh, I never thought of that."

"But I kind of can't heal it right now. You need to drink some special tea, and I didn't think to bring any. You were fine on the ship over to the Yamani Isles."

"That was a _big _ship," Kel reasoned. "This one is smaller and it sways about all the time. Look, anyway, what about you? Why couldn't _you _sleep?"

"Thoughts," he said eventually.

She waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she prompted him by saying, "About...?"

"Oh, you know," he said, looking at the floor. "Just... stuff."

"Hmm. Well, ok, Neal. If you want to talk about it, I'm here. I'm going to down to the cabin now, okay? Don't stay out too long or you'll be really tired in the morning." She began to walk away.

"Good luck!" Neal called.

Confused, she turned around. "Good luck with what?" she asked.

"Sleeping," he said, grinning. "See you in the morning."

"G'night, Neal."

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The next six days on the sea were largely uneventful. Each morning, Kel would rise from her hammock and dazedly wobble into the kitchen. Ren always woke before dawn, and would be cooking in the tiny kitchen when Kel stumbled in. After a less than satisfying meal of porridge, Kel would have to amuse herself until lunch. Normally Neal and Cleon were awake by then (no one bothered to wake them up earlier, so they took advantage and slept in late) so time didn't drag as much; they would sit in their room or up on deck and talk about things. Dinner would probably be soggy vegetables and fish, although they ran out of vegetables by the third day (much to Neal's happiness) so they ate only fish and porridge after that, which became increasingly monotonous as the days ran on. Kel was always bored.

"Finally!" Neal exclaimed, wobbling onto dry land. "I thought we'd never get off that damn -" His sentence screeched to a stop as he caught the eyes of their burly crew. He decided not to risk their wrath by insulting their boat and swiftly changed the subject. "Well, uh, anyway, where's Ren?"

"Right here. Well, I have good news! I've received a message from the Emperor. I'm being reassigned – I'll see you guys back in the Yamani Isles."

There was silence for a moment.

"Hang on," Neal said slowly. "You're not _with_ us anymore?"

"How is that _good _news?" Cleon interrupted, practically hysterical. "We're going to get lost and we don't speak the language!! Please tell me there's another spy coming with us!"

Ren rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "If there is, I probably would have been told about it."

"Oh, _great._" Cleon abruptly sat down on a crate. "Thanks a bunch. What are we meant to do now?"

Ren shrugged, but reached into her pocket. "This came with the messenger. I guess it's for you." She handed Kel a leather pouch that jangled when she shook it. Opening it, Kel discovered gold and silver coins.

"Fat lot of good that does us," Cleon grumbled.

"You can have this, too, if it helps," Ren said calmly, handing over a letter. "This is the message I received today. There aren't any orders in there for you, but take it anyway. I've already memorized it."

"Thanks," Kel said, bowing. "Despite all this, thank you for coming with us on the boat. What do you think we should do about the language barrier?"

Ren spent only a few seconds pondering the question. "I don't know. I suppose you could pretend to be mutes." She turned, shielding her eyes, and glanced at the sun. "Anyway, I have a boat to catch. Have fun." Without even a wave, she turned and strolled away. The three knights could do nothing but stare after her, dazed by the lack of information she'd given them. What were they meant to do now?

Kel looked down at the crumpled message in her hand.

_Say goodbye to your friends at one pm - I'm sure they have other places to be, and so will you. _

She read this out to her two companions, failing to see any message in the sentence. "I suppose it's some sort of code," she speculated, holding it closer to her face. "I don't see any hidden messages or signs of magic or invisible ink."

"The point of invisible ink is that you can't see it," Cleon remarked dryly, "so it's hardly a surprise that there are no _signs_."

"Hang on." Neal took the paper from her hands and examined it. "Look at the back."

Kel squinted. "It's just a few faint squiggles. It could be anything - creases, accidental dirt -"

"Ah, but that's what they _want_ you to think." He held it up to the light. "Don't you remember when Eel got the maps out on the boat? I know we were bored to death, but I remember the outline of the coast. It looked a bit like this line here." He pointed. "If that's right, then this second line must lead into the land, like a road. Maybe it's the way we're meant to go!"

Kel took her time digesting his suggestion and staring at the lines on the back of the message. "I don't know, Neal," she said finally. "It'd be a long shot, but it's the only thing we've got, so it might be worth trying it."

"Might as well," Cleon put in. "Neal might actually be right for once."

Neal glared at his redhead comrade.

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"Do you really think that was a good idea?"

"Well, how were we meant to know? We'll go back, Cleon will be waiting at the camp and we'll show him the meat we bought and explain that it turns out the entire island speaks Common. It's not our fault."

"He'll be annoyed he had to go hunting for nothing."

"Ah, whatever." Neal paused and looked around. "Which way was it, again?"

She rolled her eyes. "'Again' being the operative word in that sentence..." Seeing his scowl, she took a step to the side as if expecting him to hit her, then continued. "Past this tree, and then left at the patch of wild flowers. Remind me to never trust you to remember our path. Ever." She considered something for a moment, then added, "You're just lucky I was paying attention this time."

As she had expected, his face was contorted into a scowl when he looked at her. "Short term memory lapse, that's all! You said 'tree' and it all came flooding back!"

"Yes, of course," she said. "I wouldn't have expected anything less of..."

When she didn't continue or offer an explanation for her forgotten sentence, he moved in front of her. Kel's eyes were roving round the little clearing. "What is it?" he asked.

"This where we left Cleon and our things."

Neal looked around. "This can't have been where we left our things, Kel, because they aren't _here_. Cleon would definitely be back by now, and if he hadn't, he would definitely have left our packs behind. Who's forgetful now, huh?"

She stepped forward, ignoring his jibe. "No, Neal, this is it! Look, the grass is squashed here where we put down our packs. And here, behind this rock - this is the pile of firewood we gathered when we got here. Don't you remember?"

"Oh," he said quietly. "Maybe you _are _right."

They stared at the pile of firewood in silence.

"Well," Neal began, "what do you think we should do?"

Kel rubbed her temples, cursing their bad luck in her head. "Wait here, I suppose. Cleon will come back... with our things. Everything will be fine."

"Will it?" Neal sat down on the soft grass and leaned back against a rock.

Kel hesitated. "Neal, what if something happened to Cleon and our packs got stolen? What would we do then? I mean, we have money, but we'd have to find out about Cleon, and the coins wouldn't last long."

"Oh, don't worry about it," he reassured her. "I'm sure Cleon just felt like going for a walk or something."

"Well... ok..." Reluctantly, she sat down beside him, and they began to wait.

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"It's been five hours."

"...I don't think he's coming back."

"Should we go look for him?"

"It's dark. We ought to get our bedrolls out and - Oh. Right. Our packs are missing."

"Do you remember seeing an inn in the village?"

There was a pause. "I'm not sure. We could go see."

"In the dark?"

"Well, what else can we do?

"Mmm...meh."

They began to push their way through bushes and overgrown grass in the vague direction of the village.

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_Additional notes_

_((1)) I hope you will excuse me for neglecting to enter the last names of any Yamanis that Kel, Neal and Cleon encounter. There are only three full Yamani names mentioned in the books, but I also used a bit of my Japanese knowledge to fill in anything I couldn't find out from the three names. I assumed that the "noh" is a twist on the Japanese particle "no" which indicates possession or can mean "of", and the second name is used in the same way as Tortall as in a person's fief or their land, and NOT a family/last name. I wasn't feeling very imaginative so I didn't give them last names, but I chose Japanese names for anyone who needed a Yamani name because it was easier._

_((2)) I chose the horse's names quite carefully. I once saw a description of Peony that said something about emanating moonbeams, a reference to the title (yay!). I chose Miya (beautiful evening/night) because it related to Hoshi (star). And, because I was feeling immature and childish, I chose Taro because it means "big boy" which made me laugh because Cleon is so tall... -snickers quietly to self-_

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**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, so, this update took ridiculously long to get to you. I know. And I'm sorry. Too many distractions. School is this horrific huge monster that regurgitates coursework all over me, and rabid bunnies have been trying to eat me with all these ideas for new stories. Gargh. I wasn't sure if I'd ever finish this chapter, but I skipped ahead and wrote a scene from Chapter 13 and it rekindled my inspiration. Things get very interesting later on in the story... anyhoo, I hope this chapter wasn't too dull. I think there's some interesting scenes in the next chapter, so hopefully it won't be too long in coming. Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews - I'll try to update quicker next time :)  
**


	8. EIGHT

**--------------------MOONBEAMS AND SUNSETS---****-----------------**  
**Chapter 8**

After much wandering, Kel and Neal had eventually found themselves at an inn called "The Silver Birch". Though the rooms were expensive, its customers were predominantly luarin who were more likely to have good information on the inner workings of the small country manor which would eventually be the stage for Kel, Neal and Cleon's mission: locate and eventually kill the rebel behind the Yamani raids.

Kel inspected the contents of her purse. "I hope we find Cleon soon. We won't be able to rent this room for very long, and sleeping out without even our bedrolls won't be very pleasant."

"Oh, don't worry, Kel. With Cleon's magnificent and intuitive sense of direction, combined with a bond that links us across the ages, we will no doubt be reunited in no time."

Kel narrowed her eyes at Neal. "You aren't helping."

He shrugged, a hard feat to pull off when sprawled across a bed. "Sitting here isn't helping either. Why don't we go fishing for information downstairs? It's packed down there. There's bound to be rich pickings." He smiled wickedly. "I'll take care of the females. Why don't you put on a dress and some face paint and handle the men?"

For a moment Kel's face was murderous, then she suddenly brightened. "There's a small problem with that, Meathead: since Cleon is parading around somewhere with our packs, I don't have anything to dress up in."

Neal stood and grinned broadly. "I'm sure we'll come up with something."

Half an hour later, he returned with a midnight blue gown over his arm. "Don't even ask," he said when Kel opened her mouth. "This was the best I could do. You'll have to do without face paint, too."

Kel eyed the abomination as he handed it to her. "This couldn't fit a mouse, let alone me."

"It'll have to." He strode to the mirror and began smoothing his hair with his hands. "If only Cleon were here," he mourned. "At least I look half-decent next to him."

Kel rolled her eyes. "You're so vain, Neal. I bet you were a court lady in a previous life."

"Yeah," Neal agreed, "and I bet you weren't."

Kel scowled. "I resent that."

"Me too. I'm going to go ahead. You get changed into that dress and then get working on some men at the bar." He stepped out quickly, shutting the door behind him.

Kel remained where she was for a minute, marvelling at how natural the banter between them always felt. Even though she still harboured guilt for the big argument Neal and Yuki had had shortly before they left the Yamani capital, being around Neal still felt effortless and exhilarating. While other people gradually became less of a puzzle as she learnt things about them, Neal was the complete opposite. Though she knew aspects and fragments of his character, what he was thinking was almost always impossible to tell, because he often masked things behind jokes, drama and light-heartedness. However, both through intuition and experience, Kel knew there was a more serious side to him, and even an intelligent one. Those were the parts of him that fascinated her the most.

Reluctantly, Kel snapped herself out of her thoughts. After all, there were lecherous, semi-drunk men to be interrogating downstairs. _At least, I hope they're semi-drunk, _Kel thought. _Without a corset, most men wouldn't touch me with a ten-foot stick. _She dressed reluctantly, combed her hair quickly with her fingers and hoped desperately that nobody would look at her feet: what with the dress being a few inches too short for her, it was glaringly obvious that she was wearing a rather unattractive pair of muddy doeskin boots.

Having stuffed her purse and room key into her left boot, she descended the stairs, scanning the room for targets as soon as heads came into view. Some of the rowdier men towards the back were certainly not to be disturbed; they looked a little too drunk for her liking. Others, though sober, appeared too ragged to possibly yield any relevant information. Kel looked the room over again, feeling like something was wrong.

Then she realised there was a complete absence of women.

It was not long before she discovered why. Having taken a seat at a table by the bar, Kel now had a full view of the room, including a corner that had previously been out of her sight. There sat Neal, surrounded by what Kel could swear was the entire female population of the town. Some were sat on chairs around him, a lucky couple on each of his knees, and others standing behind or nearby, pouting and batting their eyelashes, offering him drinks and compliments. Neal was the very picture of a king paying a visit to his harem, the women his adoring concubines.

Somehow, the very scene made Kel's blood boil. _Honestly,_she thought furiously. _It's like he's deliberately putting on a show. I bet he won't even learn anything useful. _The barkeep appeared equally displeased with his maids, who were also swarming around Neal. He called them over and scolded them. Kel couldn't help but feel a small amount of satisfaction.

She continued to stew over Neal's snug all-female corner, stubbornly insisting to herself that her sour mood was not a result of jealousy, but rather because he looked like he was having far too much fun and therefore could not possibly be doing any information gathering as he was supposed to. She was snapped out of her denial, however, by the approach of a maid. She set down a glass of wine before Kel. "From the man over there," she said irritably, nodding her head to the bar.

Kel eyed the man who had sent her the drink. He was probably in his early thirties. Judging from his leather armour and scabbard, his occupation was that of a man-at-arms, or something similar. If she was lucky, he might even work at the manor Kel wished to know the location of. Even if he wasn't, he appeared a little intelligent, so he might have something worthwhile anyway. He grinned broadly at her and raised his tankard in a toast. Kel did the same, taking a sip of the wine. Though she did not really have a taste for alcohol, she could tell it wasn't of low quality. She smiled to herself. _If Neal's going to sit in the corner and fund a brothel all by himself, I might as well have a little fun myself._

Kel made a big show of walking over to the bar, swaying her hips as seductively as she knew how (which wasn't very, but she concluded that anyone who had sent her a drink in the first place was probably mad enough not to care about that sort of thing). He greeted her approach with inviting eyes, introducing himself as Aloro Smith, then requesting her own introduction. She had already created an alternate identity prior to setting off on their preposterous mission along with Cleon and Neal, though they had both been inconsistent about their own stories and names, and argued about how they should all be related and their reasons for travelling together. Kel had chosen her name as Dyara Taylor, and stuck to it.

As she and Aloro talked, Kel drew upon every drop of flirting knowledge she possessed, most of it having originated from Dom and his slick tongue. Neal was quick to notice that Kel was flirting furiously with her new companion, and similarly brought up the level of his own game.

Before long it was an all out war. Kel was determined to win, wanting to beat down the feeling of jealousy Neal had inspired, but even her tenacity could not hold out. Neal, after all, was older and far more experienced. While he possessed reams of techniques and lines to have any common maiden swooning, Kel possessed very few. When she did eventually admit defeat, and he saw it in her eyes, he grinned triumphantly and took a great swig from a tankard of ale. Kel signalled discreetly that they needed to talk privately and excused herself from Aloro, and Neal did the same with his ladies. They met in the corridor upstairs.

"We're trying to get information here, Neal, not _lovers,_" Kel said heatedly, struggling to keep her voice muted.

"I_am_getting information," he insisted. His face was flushed from drinking alcohol. "One of them is a maid at that rebel's manor!"

"Yes,_one_of them. I don't know if you noticed, Neal, but there are a few more than that, and you were slobbering all over them."

"You were having a pretty cosy chat with that man yourself," Neal snapped.

"I happened to be getting some very interesting information from him, actually," Kel lied. The truth couldn't have been any more contrary. Aloro had managed to steer away from the subject of his occupation, and she hadn't wanted to push her luck by asking explicitly. She had ventured a few vague questions, asking his thoughts on the area and any potential jobs by disguising her intent under her new persona of "a young woman seeking employment", yet he somehow managed to dodge the question by suddenly asking why she had travelled here in the first place. It wasn't so much suspicious as simply irritating. "I'll be getting back, then. I don't want Aloro getting suspicious." She swept back downstairs, joining Aloro once more.

He looked at her questioningly. "Who was that, then?"

"Just my brother. We're travelling together, for lack of better companions." She said the words bitterly, though he didn't seem to notice.

"You could always travel with me," he said, his gaze intense. "I've been wanting to get out of these parts. My master, he's not to my liking. Sends off raiding parties all the time, and they never come back, but he doesn't care. I don't want to be in the next one. What say you? A romantic escape to the city, or some such thing?"

"I don't know," she said, suddenly feeling nervous. He had somehow managed to inch closer to her without her notice. Kel wanted to continue the conversation in order to find out more about his master, though she wasn't sure she liked where it was leading. "I quite like it around here..."

He looked at her calculatingly for a moment. "Well, no matter," he said eventually. "It'll be a while yet till he thinks of sending me away. I have time… And still I have all this night to spend with you." Suddenly he was leaning in and Kel panicked and then before she even realised what had happened, Neal had shot between her and Aloro, and thrust him away from Kel.

"_What in Mithros' name are you trying to do with my fiancée_?" Neal thundered. The whole room had fallen silent; even the wind outside seemed to quell upon hearing his roar.

Aloro's terror slipped behind a nervous grin. "I thought he was your brother…?" he said to Kel.

She gritted her teeth. "He _is_."

Neal's face had gone blank. He looked at Kel for a moment and then said, "Oops. Sorry, Dyara. I mixed you up again." He turned again to meet Aloro's confused eyes. "I'm actually engaged to Dyara's identical twin… Atelia."

Kel could barely believe Neal's stupidity. "Being my identical twin sister, Atelia is also _your_sister, so that would be equally as incestuous," she pointed out.

This time Neal's reaction was quicker. He rushed to fabricate a story as if speed rather than content would verify its authenticity. "Uh, well, actually, I got attacked by a griffin, which resulted in temporary blindness, and I meant to ask someone else to be my wife but instead I accidentally asked Dyara because I couldn't see and thought she was someone else and then Dyara accepted because she was temporarily insane, so before we knew it we were betrothed, but we aren't actually, we've never had sex or even kissed except sort of family kissing which doesn't really count and we're family anyway so it's okay."

Kel groaned. _At this rate, _she thought direly, _we will be dead within the week._

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_

Kel woke to another unfamiliar ceiling. The night before, after being unable to offer an adequate explanation to Neal's ramblings, they had quickly fled the inn and found another. Kel had hardly been able to sleep after such a traumatic experience. Not only had Neal threatened their safety, but they had not dared ask for a refund to the room they were abandoning, and Kel's purse was therefore far lighter as a result. To add to that, Cleon was still missing along with almost all of their belongings.

Kel rose reluctantly. Neal was still curled up beneath the sheets of the other single bed in the room. She decided to let him sleep in a little longer, if only so she didn't have to deal with him until later. Once the hot water she had called for arrived, she took a long, luxurious bath and dressed once more. A short breakfast followed.

When she returned to the room, she wondered whether she ought to wake Neal or not. It had been an oddly quiet morning so far, something she wasn't quite sure she liked. Though she often pretended not to value Neal's input, at least it made things a little less boring. Neal's job, Kel concluded, was to make everything into a challenge. To some, it made things difficult and tedious. To Kel, and probably anyone who knew him well, it brought a new obstacle between the start and the finishing lines. Though it made things more complicated, though it messed things up, what would have been a rather ordinary, bog-standard day was transformed into a genuinely refreshing and exhilarating experience that you would probably never forget. Maybe this was one of the things she liked about Neal the most. For Kel, who had deliberately taken the path of a warrior when other girls would be quite satisfied with a thoroughly mundane court life, being challenged was what her whole life was about.

Neal was also a companion. He was dedicated, loyal and caring. He understood the kind of thoughts that Kel had, he expected the same kind of things out of his life, and he knew her almost as well as he knew himself. That way, things just seemed to work out. Even though they weren't exactly the same, even though he was stubborn and teasing and open like she just wasn't, it didn't seem to matter. Where differences divided Kel and other people, they only seemed to strengthen what had become, over many years, a flawless and infinite understanding between the two.

Neal was, perhaps, the most special person Kel could ever hope to meet.

Shrugging, Kel decided to leave him for a little longer. He had done a lot of things for her in her past, and even if it was only a tiny thing like letting him sleep in for an extra half an hour, Kel wanted to pay him back by doing such things.

She was just heading downstairs when she heard a familiar voice, begging to the barkeep.

"Please! Are you quite sure? They're – they're called Dyila and Nekun! They must be here, I've checked all the other inns, and someone at The Silver Birch said something about this place…"

Kel grinned to herself and approached the hooded stranger at the bar. "It's Dyara and Nekaun, you idiot."

Cleon spun around and looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Dyila!" he exclaimed, wrapping his big arms around her. "I'm so glad I finally found you!"

"It wouldn't be a problem if you hadn't disappeared into thin air," Kel scolded, pushing him off. "I swear, what were we supposed to do without any of our belongings?"

"You're the ones who disappeared," Cleon replied. "I took our packs with me so they didn't get stolen or something. I get back and you're gone. I wait until dark, you don't come back. I'm terrified that something's happened… then I didn't get any sleep because I was scouring the whole town for you. I think I'm going to be scarred for life!"

"You think you're going to be scarred for life? You should have been around last night."

At Cleon's confused face, Kel beckoned him up the stairs with their packs so she could tell him the whole story.

Later that day, while they followed up a few leads Neal had discovered the night before, they were confronted by a cloaked man who identified himself as one of the spies sent by the Yamani emperor to deal with the rebel. Though at first suspicious, Neal used some sort of magic gemstone, which indicated he was telling the truth.

The cloaked man quickly explained recent developments in events. Several of his kin, including himself, had been planning to infiltrate the manor that night. However, somehow their plans had been leaked, and security had been heavily tightened. The majority of the spies masquerading as travellers were under suspicion, leading to only one solution. The plans to kill the rebel must be executed as soon as possible, before any other obstacles interfered. Many of the current spies assigned to the task were useless due to being under suspicion. Therefore, Kel, Neal and Cleon, who at first had only been intended as back-up, were to take on the main chunk of the plan: entering the palace without suspicion and taking the rebel noble's life.

"There are some job openings in the manor," the cloaked man informed them. "The rebel's paranoia has led to many staff being fired. However, we believe that you will be able to take these jobs and complete the mission before his paranoia sets in on you."

"Ensure your stories have no holes. Dress inconspicuously, and openly carry only the weapons that would be expected of you. The Emperor of the Yamani Islands has trust in you all."

"And, this afternoon, you will infiltrate the manor."

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_Additional Notes_

_I'm aware that these are quite boring (not to mention time-consuming for me), so it's likely they will not be appearing as often as before._

_((1)) Dyara and Nekaun are the names of characters from Trudi Canavan's series, Priestess of the White. Though I didn't enjoy it as much as her Black Magician Trilogy, I thought it was quite amusing... Dyara was not a character I liked but her name just popped into my head. As for Nekaun, I liked him quite a lot (until the third and final book OO;)_

_((2)) I've just realised that last chapter I said they were going to a village. In this chapter, it's a big town. I'm about to collapse so I'm not going to change it now, please excuse my inconsistency until a time where I can correct it. _

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**Ugh. Yes, let's not even talk about the ridiculous update gaps. This school year is turning out to be the most ridiculous of my entire life. The amount of work is horrific. I am so tired, and yet, I've got to write up two sets of oral questions for French and finish an essay about the love in R J for English both for tomorrow I have a Biology ISA tomorrow. On top of this, the March issue of Lala magazine arrived today... (for those out the know, it's a Japanese manga magazine with Ouran Host Club, Vampire Knight, La Corda D'oro...)**

**Anyway, I was surprised how quickly I got back into writing this. It's really satisfying. Towards the end, this chapter got quite lame... hmmm. I feel like my writing style has changed, and I put more effort in than usual. Personal experiences filtered their way into this one, all the descriptions of Neal were really based on somebody I used to know. I really hope this satisfied your hunger for my stories, cos you might not be getting any more for a long time. **

**You're really going to have to bear with me, I doubt I'll be updating anything until after exams are over... June? July? The school won't even tell me when study leave starts. I can only pray that Sixth Form will be a lot less stressful than this... Well, I've got a ridiculous amount of work to do, thank you so much for reading and reviewing my stories all this time. Hopefully I'll be able to find time to chill out and write some more, so... until that time, au revoir! **


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